AGEING & MENTAL HEALTH PROFILE

Maintain, cope and benefit

Pfalzklinikum’s Paul Bomke explains the best way to maintain health, cope with stress and benefit from diversity

falzklinikum has participated in SyWik since 1 April 2012. Here, problems are analysed, and requirements identified by SyWiK is the German abbreviation for ‘Systematic and different wards, departments and units are discussed. All CHM PParticipatory Further Education in Hospital’. In this context, representatives meet periodically in the so-called ‘CHM Specialist Pfalzklinikum co-operates with -Südliche Weinstraße Group’. The equal opportunities officer at Pfalzklinikum Clinical Center, City Hospital and Pirmasens Municipal simultaneously co-ordinates company health management and is Hospital. SyWiK is a social partner project promoted by the involved here, too. Further education for the CHM representatives European Social Fund and the German Federal Ministry of Labour by means of seminars and workshops has also been established and Social Affairs and implemented as part of the initiative weiter within SyWiK. These training courses deal with issues such as bilden (‘Keep on Educating’). A total of €140m is invested in the stress reduction, methods for coping with one’s work despite a further education of employees in . heavy workload, and the correct formulation of questions to Not only do some clinical centres and facilities with responsible identify problems in the working environment at an early stage. persons from various fields (managing directors, staff council Coping with stress in everyday work life representatives, work council representatives, HR representatives Basically all project measures follow the salutogenic approach and others) participate, but also the ver.di trade union district and developed by Aaron Antonovsky, a professor of medical sociology, municipal employers’ association of Rhineland-. Worth and deliberately provide a counterpoint to the common, disease- mentioning in this context is the co-operation of the management oriented view (pathogenic approach). With this concept it has level and staff representatives, which constitutes an integral been possible to offer a wide range of services for employees, for aspect of this project. example coping workshops. Led by Pfalzklinikum and its partner, maxQ. im bfw – Unternehmen All employees can take part in these coping workshops. Such für Bildung (an institution for advanced job training), the measures are crucial, especially in times of shortage of skilled participating facilities worked out new concepts of further labour in the health and social economy, an economic pressure education and possibilities of health prevention for their connected with higher demands and changing work processes. approximately 4,200 employees. The duration of the SyWiK For this reason, Pfalzklinikum consciously chose to offer these project is 33 months; it ends on 31 December 2014. An official workshops for all employees. In these workshops, questions such closing event took place on 16 October. as how to reduce stress most effectively, how to identify and Why does Pfalzklinikum participate? handle strain, and what conditions stress may cause are Pfalzklinikum saw SyWiK as an opportunity to familiarise its investigated. By means of practical exercises like breathing employees with its company health management (CHM) by means techniques, body journeys, visualisation and activation tricks, of a broad educational offensive and let them benefit from it. An those participating learn to quickly relieve tension and regain event held by the municipal employers’ association and ver.di in new strength during their workday. However, they also develop gave rise to this idea. Then Pfalzklinikum, as an initiator and methods on how to prepare themselves for stressful situations also as a driver, looked for further co-operation partners. and what to do to prevent one’s own stressors from gaining too much ground. Pfalzklinikum’s 12 sites were a logistical challenge Company health management: a crucial topic during these training measures. The responsible persons As the first step, Pfalzklinikum designated representatives for succeeded in bundling the events at three sites, so employees company health management in all facilities and areas. These can benefit from anti-stress workshops as part of SyWiK in CHM representatives continue to be active after the end of the Klingenmünster, and Rockenhausen. project phase and improve and critically scrutinise the working conditions along with the persons concerned. In close co- To date, a first series of coping workshops for about 440 ordination with colleagues, they implement health-promoting employees has been offered. There are plans to carry out another measures in their daily working environment. The various units series of workshops based on and extending the contents of the regularly hold meetings, or so-called ‘health circles’. first seminars.

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Enhance gender-specific skills The gender aspect plays an important role in the fields of Author: Elena Natalie Posth, MA, MBA clinical, outpatient or home care. It may happen that patients or Redakteurin Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit sowie clients coming from a different culture refuse to be treated by a klinikübergreifende Pressearbeit im SyWiK-Projekt female caregiver, and, vice versa, female patients may react (Editor of public relations as well as cross-hospital press work differently to a male nurse than to a nurse of the same sex. The within the SyWiK project) planned workshops covering this subject are meant to help Pfalzklinikum build up gender-specific skills in treatment, support and care of Weinstr. 100 persons with mental impairments. Those participating will reflect D- 76889 Klingenmünster on their roles and their behaviour and work off subconscious E-mail: [email protected] stereotypes. For co-operation in general and when planning Contact details: work processes, the gender aspect is also decisive and has to Pfalzklinikum Board of Directors be taken into consideration. Birgit Fuchs Salutogenesis and diversity: maintain health, Einrichtungsleiterin Betreuen Fördern Wohnen benefit from diversity (Head of Care Foster Live) Salutogenesis and maintenance of health is offered in Pfalzklinikum management lectures for Pfalzklinikum middle management Weinstr. 100 staff. In workshops, they learn how health can be maintained, D-76889 Klingenmünster E-mail: [email protected] particularly with reference to their own leadership behaviour. The aspect of diversity and how to offer equal opportunities for Internal project management: employees of different origin, sex, age or culture group is also Claudia Schoyerer, MA taught. In addition, executives learn how to benefit from these Pfalzklinikum differences in a group. Thus, these events within company Weinstr. 100 health management are not additional but rather supporting D-76889 Klingenmünster offers for executives. E-mail: [email protected]

How does Pfalzklinikum organise its participation? planned project in a target-oriented manner: the structures of Apart from a superior decision making body, an advisory board further education have improved, and numerous seminars, consisting of responsible persons from maxQ., managing workshops and meetings were held at the four facilities involved. directors, personnel committees and work councils as well as This is a direct win-win situation for all employees of the representatives of the municipal employers’ association and the hospitals and clinical centres. About 440 employees of ver.di union district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Pfalzklinikum defines Pfalzklinikum have benefitted from these offers. This number is its project strategy in a core group. It is composed of persons expected to rise until the end of the project. Thus, the involved in the personnel committee, in-house training, the implemented measures immediately and sustainably contribute human resources department, personnel and organisational to further strengthening participatory and systematic internal development and public relations. Furthermore, the equal training in the future. opportunities and women’s officer, the project initiator and an external consultant are actively involved. This internal core group Further information can be found at: meets every two months. www.sywik.de www.initiative-weiter-bilden.de Pfalzklinikum is also the seat of the internal project management, as well as of cross-hospital public relations, both looking after and supporting all hospitals.

Summary promoted by: The SyWiK project is very well appreciated at Pfalzklinikum. The focus is on the practical benefit of the workshops, seminars and Paul Bomke further education measures for employees. In the meantime, CEO SyWiK has established itself in the structures of Pfalzklinikum Pfalzklinikum and other facilities. All parties concerned exchange views on an tel: +49 6349 900 1000 equal footing and work together effectively. In the last few months, the involved project teams (core groups, Frankfurt [email protected] www.pfalzklinikum.de project team and advisory board) were able to accomplish the Reproduced by kind permission of Pan European Networks Ltd, www.paneuropeannetworks.com © Pan European Networks 2014 www.paneuropeannetworks.com Pan European Networks: Government 12 225