In mid-February 2022, the Province of Tyrol commissioned the Center for Social & Health Innovation of MCI | The Entrepreneurial School® to work on "Care in Tyrol - Ideas, Perspectives, Strategies & Future". The results have been available since the end of July 2022.
The aim of the work of the Center for Social & Health Innovation was to pool existing knowledge and experience in the field of care and to contribute to the development of strategies and approaches for care. In this context, an explorative approach to new ways of care and the accompaniment of the political discourse for the definition of a care strategy for the province of Tyrol were central. The strategy development was carried out by including and processing existing expertise and data and by capturing a picture of the mood on the topic of care in Tyrol. For this purpose, different methods were combined during the implementation to make the broadest possible spectrum of perspectives and experiences from the field of care accessible and connectable. The first step was the analysis of existing data and literature to take into account the current scientific discourse. In addition, best practice examples were compiled based on literature following the objectives, and current developments were included in the survey. The core of the survey was formed by qualitative interviews and group discussions with an explorative character. Stakeholders from the care sector were invited to participate as experts to gather experiences, needs, relevance horizons, focal points, fields of action, existing structures, and future perspectives as well as innovative solutions and best practice approaches from the different regions of Tyrol. Due to the great demand, a fishbowl discussion was held in cooperation with RollOn Austria to involve people with disabilities as persons who are often dependent on care, as well as their relatives, corresponding social and health service providers and interest groups. Here, the participatory character and the active involvement in the discussion were central to proactive involvement in the research process. The research project was accompanied by a project advisory board, which was composed exclusively of nursing professionals and acted as a reflexive authority for the scientific procedure throughout the project. Until the end of July 2022, a total of 124 people from the fields of health & social services, advocacy, and politics & administration were surveyed in interviews, group discussions and fishbowls.
In the meantime, the results have been handed over to the state in the form of a final report. Within the framework of the project, important needs became clear. Appreciation of care is one of the most important demands. There is a need for much more support from politics, but also at the societal level. Instead of one-off payments, the implementation of sustainable improvements in the framework conditions is needed as an expression of appreciation. The approaches are manifold. In the course of nursing training, demands for incentives and easier access, for example, through the waiving of tuition fees or more support offers for trainees, are becoming clear. On the other hand, the teaching of assistant professions in nursing to attract new nursing staff is controversially discussed. Another important topic is making the nursing profession more attractive. For example, a harmonization of existing collective agreements about payment and weekly working hours is demanded. The plannability of substitute services and more flexible working time models also play an important role in this context. In addition, higher pay, bonuses for substitute services, more wage transparency and an alignment of salaries with MTBs are suggested. In addition to pay, the need for competence enhancement in the sense of competence to act and monetary remuneration for specialisations in nursing is emphasised. Securing personnel capacities by, for example, winning back drop-outs or simplifying nostrifications are also discussed. According to the participants, to keep people in care, more qualified staff are needed, which will be enshrined in future key financial figures and thus guaranteed. There is also broad agreement that the advantages of the nursing profession should be communicated to the public again and that work should be done on a strong, united and coordinated representation of interests. The professionalism, the seemingly endless diversity and the accompanying variety in everyday work are only some of the numerous strengths of the profession that are emphasised by the nursing staff.
A more detailed presentation of the results as well as the project process, methodology and best practice examples can be found in the final report Endbericht Pflege in Tirol – Ideen, Perspektiven, Strategien & Zukunft (Care in Tyrol - Ideas, Perspectives, Strategies & Future), which is available for download.
In addition, the documentation of the event „Pflegevorsorge Tirol: Bedarf – Bedürfnisse – Würde“ (Care provision Tyrol: Needs - Dignity), which was carried out in the context of the project in cooperation with RollOn Austria, can be found here to "give a voice to people who are cared for as well as to people who care and to capture their expertise and experiences".
Contact:
Friederike Sahling, B.Sc. M.A.Teaching & Research Assistant+43 512 2070 – 7442friederike.sahling@mci.edu
Care in Tyrol – Ideas, Perspectives, Strategies & Future. ©iStockphoto
