Why an open door culture matters in health and social care

Creating an open door culture is the backbone of safe and effective services.

Whatever your role is, you should feel comfortable and confident in approaching your manager or a colleague to talk, ask for support or share feedback – because your opinion matters.

As Registered Manager of My Caring Limited, having an open door culture is something I pride myself and insist on.

When staff join us, we share our documentation on our culture, alongside all other relevant policies, procedures and training, as part of the induction process.

But it goes way beyond this – our staff need to know and feel they can come to me at any time, in person or over the phone, and feel confident in the knowledge they will be heard and supported.

In any sector or industry, there may be times where this approach differs and it’s more about just getting the job done.

Staff might not see their managers and may not get the opportunity to talk to them.

For us, having an open door matters for quality of care. It can even lead to earlier identification of any concerns when our staff are caring for our service users, meaning we can act faster and staff feel heard and supported.

They feel able to speak up sooner and, in turn, feel more engaged and motivated to deliver the best care possible.

Our staff know they can come to our office whenever they wish, to talk and ask for help if needed.

We encourage them to share their ideas. Ultimately, they’re our eyes and ears and their opinion is so valuable in how we care for our service users in the best possible way.

We understand everyone has their own life outside of work too. We support our staff in any way possible if there is something they want to discuss or share which is affecting them outside of work.

Knowing they can do this builds trust and increases the strength of the team.

They also have the opportunity to attend our regular staff drop-in surgery held in partnership with our sister company, Care Connection Partners.

This is a regular chance to meet the whole team, spend time with each other, raise concerns, share ideas and feedback, and also have some fun while celebrating the incredible work they do around the clock.

Both My Caring and Care Connection Partners share the same #feelthelove ethos and values, meaning we want our staff, partners, service users and everyone we work with to feel that love.

The message is simple – we care, we’re listening, we’re open, honest and transparent.

Our Field Supervisor, Marion Hyde, also has weekly check-in calls with all our staff to ensure they’re supported, kept in the loop with what’s happening, and answer any queries.

A learning culture is also something we wholeheartedly encourage.

While we provide high quality mandatory training to all our staff, we’re delighted to support them and facilitate additional chosen training if they wish to expand their knowledge and further develop their skills in a particular area.

This breeds even more confidence within their roles.

The bottom line is we’re accessible and approachable. We listen, we act and we’re stronger for it.

 – Caitlin Sacre – Registered Manager, My Caring Limited