THE BIG PICTURE: Ashley Regional Medical Center in Vernal makes staff feedback a cornerstone of their safety culture.
WHY IT MATTERS: In rural healthcare settings, strong staff engagement and support systems are essential for maintaining high-quality patient care. Ashley Regional has developed structured processes to keep lines of communication open between staff and leadership.
Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Clinical Officer Grant Barraclough focuses on understanding staff needs: “We’re asking them how they’re feeling. Are you tired? What are the things that we can help with so that we can make sure that resilience stays higher?”
HOW IT WORKS: The hospital employs a three-tiered approach to staff engagement:
- Annual Assessment: The Culture of Safety and Engagement (COSI) survey provides data on safety culture and staff resilience, followed by structured debriefs to address findings.
- Daily Connections: “Myself and our CEO, we do daily rounds on our staff, but also on our patients. And it gives us an opportunity to go around and talk to all the staff and see how they’re doing,” explains Barraclough.
- Executive Safety Rounds: “We do what are called executive patient safety rounds. And these are scheduled rounds that the CEO, the CFO, and the CNO, we schedule with the different departments every month,” says Barraclough.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Through critical feedback channels and regular leadership presence, Ashley Regional is prioritizing an environment where staff concerns are heard and addressed promptly, supporting their mission of providing exceptional care to the Vernal community.