Positive work culture benefits patients and families

Effective organizations, no matter the sector, have at least one thing in common. They support their staff to take actions that reflect the organization's priorities, mission and values. As one of Canada's leading community academic hospitals, North York General Hospital (NYGH) is making great strides to not only be effective, but also progressive by emphasizing a healthy work culture for its employees that leads to positive outcomes for its patients and families.

“Our patients come first in everything we do," says Jennifer Bowman, Vice President, People, Strategy and Clinical Support. “Therefore, we make it a priority to motivate our people by fostering a healthy culture of education, collaboration and service excellence.”

Engaged employees increase patient and family satisfaction

A culture of strong employee engagement sets the stage for meaningful collaboration among staff that ultimately benefits patients and families.

NYGH's work culture includes key factors across the organization:

  • Education
  • Research and development
  • Innovation 
  • Partnerships

"No one department is responsible for leading and supporting a healthy corporate culture,” says Jamie Campbell, Director of Organizational Development and Volunteer Services. “It requires trust, collaboration and the required competencies across the entire organization, as well as taking that approach with our stakeholders outside the hospital.” 

A culture of strong employee engagement sets the stage for meaningful collaboration among staff that ultimately benefits patients and families.

A culture of strong employee engagement sets the stage for meaningful collaboration among staff that ultimately benefits patients and families.

NYGH's early adoption of the Choosing Wisely Canada campaign is just one example of how the hospital's culture of education and collaboration positively impacts patients. The concept has helped patients and physicians talk together to eliminate unnecessary tests, surgery and prescriptions that are wasteful and possibly harmful; and to recognize that in medicine, more is not always better.

As a result, patients do not have to undergo unnecessary tests, make fewer time-consuming visits to the hospital, and experience shorter emergency room wait times. Learn more about the impact of the Choosing Wisely campaign at NYGH.

This collaborative, innovative thinking is successful at NYGH because our people are engaged at all levels, within every discipline and work towards continuous improvement. 

Making the experience of patients and families the best it can be

For over a decade the hospital has continued to build and grow the organization's culture. Today, NYGH is a top performing hospital in Ontario, scoring top marks in the categories of engagement, health and safety, patient care, and trust in the organization. 

Our patients come first in everything we do

“When people want to work here we attract and keep the best talent, and are able to provide patients and families with exceptional care,” says Jennifer 

Implementing a Patient- and Family-Centred Care approach to the care we provide is an important way for our staff, physicians and volunteers to see through the eyes of patients and families. Staff partner with patients and families to work WITH them instead of doing TO or FOR them. 

“When I visited my surgeon he took the time to draw diagrams, he didn't stand over me – he pulled up a chair and sat down eye to eye and I felt important to him as a person not just another patient in his practice,” says Margo Twohig, former patient and Co-chair of North York General Hospital's Patient and Family Advisory Council. 

NYGH aims to make the hospital the best place it can be for patients and their families. Our people and culture are essential to doing that successfully. 

“I am proud of NYGH as a good system citizen, meaning we really try to do what we say," says Jamie. “We are strategic, with a collaborative culture from top to bottom and frankly we are friendly — especially our caregivers.” 

This article first appeared in the June 2017 issue of The Pulse.

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