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PErforM network webinar: Sundale

The Office of Industrial Relations facilitates a network to support organisations implementing the PErforM (Participative Ergonomics for Manual Tasks) program. The network supports workplaces using PErforM to discuss their challenges and share their learnings. In this webinar you will hear about how Sundale implemented the PEforM program and the challenges and success they experienced.

Watch the recording of the webinar below or download the presentation (PDF, 3.18 MB).

Download a copy of this film (MP4, 150 MB)

PErforM Network Meeting held on 26 November 2015

Presented by: Michelle James, WHSQ and Nicolle Whiteley, Sundale

Slide 1

Slide 2

Moderator

Good morning and welcome to the PErforM Network Meeting and Webinar. My name is Jane Stevens from WorkCover Queensland and I will be your moderator this morning.

Slide 3

Before we commence, I would just like to share some information on the features of the webinar. Today you can click on the red button to hide and unhide the panel. To select the audio on the control panel you can change between computer audio or the telephone. You can type your questions in the question box there and your questions and comments will also appear.

Slide 4

After the webinar a recording will be available via our website. There will also be an email sent out with the actual links to the slides and presentation information. We will have an opportunity to answer questions during and after the webinar and we will collect them and publish all of the answers on our website if we don't answer all of our questions. We encourage you to complete a short survey at the end of the webinar. Your feedback will help us improve future webinars and identify other topics of interest.

Slide 5

I would now like to introduce your presenters for this morning. Nicolle Whiteley is the Quality Risk and Safety Support and Statutory Claims Officer at Sundale Limited. Sundale Limited is a not for profit community service organisation based in Nambour on the Sunshine Coast. Nicolle started with Sundale just over seven years ago and her role includes participating and identifying ways to reduce-work related injuries. Nicolle is going to share with us today her journey about the implementation of PErforM into Sundale.

Michelle James is our second speaker for the morning. Michelle is the Ergonomics Advisor and PErforM Coordinator at Workplace Health and Safety. Michelle has worked for Workplace Health and Safety for the last 18 years including as an Ergonomics Inspector. Michelle has qualifications in occupational health and safety and ergonomics. Michelle coordinates the Workplace Health and Safety PErforM program and I'll hand over to Nicolle.

Slide 7

Nicolle Whiteley

Thanks Jane. So Sundale's journey to becoming a Queensland workplace PErforMing. Sundale was formed – just a little bit of background – Sundale was formed over 50 years ago by a group of local businesses and service organisations. So today Sundale provide residential aged care, in-home care, child care, community care, retirement living, community housing and they have facilities from Kilcoy all the way up to Gladstone. Sundale currently employ over 500 people. The staff that work for Sundale, they include care staff, admin staff, maintenance, we have our own laundry staff and catering workers as well. That also includes our physios who work in our therapy area.

Slide 8

So where did we start with PErforM? Well we felt that we did need to increase the education for our staff specifically in relation to manual handling. That was for workers who were in the areas of catering, maintenance and the laundry. Work-related injuries there were increasing and also Sundale had become self-insured for workers' compensation back in July in 2011. So we were becoming increasingly aware of the associated costs with those work-related injuries.

So back in 2012 myself and a colleague attended the PErforM workshop. That was presented by Kerry Cowling when Workplace Health and Safety Queensland were in Nambour. It was something that we'd looked at and heard about on the internet and thought 'Okay we might head along to this and have a look' and see what this program was about.

Slide 9

So after we went to that program we had quite a few discussions. We were very excited about the PErforM program and we felt that everything that we had talked about at that program was very positive. We felt that we could actually introduce the PErforM program to Sundale which we felt would definitely assist us in managing those hazardous manual tasks. It was also going to be a way that the organisation could meet their legislative requirements in a positive way if we had implemented that program as well.

Slide 10

So when we were looking at implementing it so in the planning stages we had access to all of the available resources from the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland site and we created our business plan. So whilst we were actually creating that plan because we came up with quite a few drafts it was identified that the manual handling injuries were steadily increasing in our support areas being laundry and catering and maintenance. So we'd also identified that internal training on patient transfer or elder transfer. We do that really well, that training, that manual handling training but we felt that we did need to increase our manual handling for the support services or the non-clinical areas as we felt that we probably really didn't address that as comprehensively as what we had liked.

Slide 11

So when we had come up with our original plan we'd originally just looked at all the training resources and thought 'We will just roll this out as a generic style of PErforM training as it is off the website' the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland website. But after further talks and deliberation and consultation with some external parties and the Quality Risk and Safety Team, it was decided that we would probably see more benefit from this program if we customised the training. So it was tailored for specific areas. We did feel that this would probably engage our workers more effectively.

So in late 2013 our business plan was presented to EXECOM or the Executive Committee for Review and our budget was approved. Approval was given for us to roll this program out which we were very excited about.

Slide 12

So when we had arranged everything and we were ready to roll out we commenced May 2014 and our first area we rolled out to was our Catering Services department located in Nambour. So this involved discussing or presenting the PErforM program to the area manager. We think that that has been part of our success is getting those area managers on board right from the beginning. So we would meet with them, introduce the program, go through what the tasks were, the associated tasks, how we would roll that training out, what was actually required for this training and the whole way through that process we had kept the managers informed because as I said that was a big part of our key success to rolling that program out.

Slide 13

So engaging with our staff – so the process that we used was we would attend a specific site over a period of two weeks or more and we'd talk to the team members. We actually observed them in their workplaces. So we'd actually have one on one's with them. We'd talk to them. We'd ask them 'What jobs do you do in your role that you go home feeling a bit sore from?' or 'Is there any job that you think "It's Tuesday. I've got this particular job to do and I really may not want to come to work because I've got to do that task on that day"?' So I think that was also a huge part of getting that or extracting that information and tailoring our program and focusing on those individual tasks that people were actually doing in those areas. We'd also be on site at those sites both in the morning and the afternoon because we had quickly identified that both AM and PM staff would be doing the same task however they would be done quite differently.

Slide 14

So first areas that we went into the majority of team members would say 'No. There's nothing really that I have an issue with.' So we would ask them to think about it and generally before the end of their shift or before the end of the day that we were leaving we would have team members lining up to tell us about the different tasks that they were having issues with or difficulties with which was great. It was great feedback to see that the staff were engaging in that initial rollout that we were doing.

So during these observations we'd obviously talk to the staff but we would also video them and photograph them. The photos and the videos we actually use in our training presentations in our PowerPoints. I think what happened with that as well there was that feeling of empowerment for them because they saw themselves up on the big screen and thought 'Okay. I'm really part of this and I can be part of the solution to help fix this.' So as you can see on the screen there there's a couple of team members. They were more than willing to show us what tasks that they do and which ones that they were having issues with which was great.

Slide 15

So from the observation sessions we would use two particular tasks, one being a simple quick fix. So those control measures would generally be provided to us on the day that we did the observations by the team members. So they were coming up with the solutions there and then which was great. The second task that we chose to use in our training session would be a second task that probably needed maybe a little bit more investigation and discussion and consultation with all of the workers which we think has worked really well.

Once we had done the presentation we would consult with the manager about those two tasks prior to using them in the presentation and that was also to have them involved. Obviously that's a respect thing for that manager for their area as well and they would pick out which bits and pieces that we'd actually use in the training program.

So then we scheduled some dates for some training sessions. Generally we would have to roll out multiple sessions for that area because we do limit our classes to 10 people at a time just due to the consultation and the discussions around the second task. We felt that 10 people in one room at a time discussing a task was more than sufficient. So we would run those multiple training sessions and generally the session takes about an hour and a half in total.

Slide 16

So during the education sessions I think our biggest thing was educating the staff or the team members with those five risk factors. I think our biggest thing was we would say in our training sessions 'We don't expect you to remember number one is forceful exertions, number two is working posture' and so on. We would actually ask them to look at the task and say 'How much energy do I have to use to do this task?', 'What sort of position am I going to be in?', 'How long am I going to be in it for?', 'Is this task going to be repetitive and is there any vibration?' So we put it in a terminology for them so that they would be identifying those and putting it in a little bit easier words for them to understand.

So we'd also talk about risk management, hierarchy of control. A lot of team members really weren't aware of the hierarchy of control so we felt that was a good opportunity to discuss that in there and especially when they're coming up with those control measures and identifying the risk factors and things if they're going to implement different processes to ensure that they're not actually introducing any additional risks.

So we'd also look at all the videos and the photos that were taken during the observation sessions. We also review a completed PErforM Risk Assessment. This is used as a template as such and the team members actually get to take that with them so that they can use that as a guide for when they go back to their area and they start assessing some of the other tasks in their areas. We also complete details on the body map and complete the risk factors section along with the control measures that they would look at implementing. In relation to the second task that we would do we would have as I said earlier, an open discussion and these sessions are fantastic. With that information that is actually collected there the team members write that down and we collect those risk assessments. At a later date we meet with the Site Manager and we go through and see – we log them into our Risk Register and find out which ones are going to be able to be implemented.

Slide 17

So as I said we talk about the hierarchy of controls. A lot of staff as I said generally haven't seen the hierarchy of controls but once it's explained to them and they can see that 'Can we actually eliminate that task?' and we go through the process there which I think gives them a better understanding of how to look at implementing those control measures and seeing which ones are going to be useful first.

Slide 18

So these are just a copy of the PErforM Risk Assessment Tool. We've Sundale-ised it so speak. The risk assessments we do hand them out, a blank one and this is what we call our homework. Surprisingly enough we do get a large amount of the homework returned to us when we go back to the areas within – it's generally within about two weeks we return there and collect all of those. Again we sit down with the manager and discuss any of the control measures and yep, have a general discussion about what we can do there.

Slide 19

As I said earlier we do provide the team members with a completed Risk Assessment Tool but we also do go through the body map section just to ensure that they do understand what they're actually rating there and just to make sure that they can identify those five risk factors and how they rate them as well.

Slide 20

So as I said we return to the areas and it's generally within about two weeks. We do meet with the managers. We also get the Health and Safety reps on board as well because they become effectively our champions for each area after this training has been rolled out. The Health and Safety reps are great because they're generally team members who do work in that area. They've been really quite helpful in the implementation of those control measures as well.

So if the Quality Risk and Safety Team need to assist we do, whether that be to arrange some quotes or get some further information on safety equipment or whatever it might be. For an example in one of the areas we have got some quotes and have rolled out some anti-fatigue mats, anti-vibration gloves, things like that and that's just to assist the manager to implement those control measures as well which we feel has been really effective giving that manager that after training support as well.

Slide 21

So where there's been large budget implications for control measures we've been advised that the manager has used the documentation to assist with that equipment, for purchasing that equipment. For an example there was a large mobile hotbox which was roughly about two metres tall. The person pushing that wasn't able to see around it. So the control measures that the staff came up with was it be a two person task and they put handles on the side and changed the directional wheels. That worked for some time but effectively it was an interim fix. So at a later date that manager had used a larger – sorry, had used the documentation for purchasing a smaller hotbox and they completely changed the process on that which is great.

The local Health and Safety rep reports – they report monthly to their managers. They put in the details in relation to what's been logged into their register, what's been followed up, what's outstanding and they also provide a bit of a follow up at their Health and Safety Committee meetings which is held quarterly. So that is where other staff can who don't have it rolled out to their area as yet, they can get the heads-up on that and discuss issues where they may already have those in their facilities and they can roll that out effectively prior to the training being rolled out there.

So once we've gone through all of that we do go back – the trainers, myself and Deb go back for a three month follow up. We also go back on a six month follow up as well. So this just assists the area to identify if any additional risks have been logged and if the control measures have been implemented and if not give them that assistance that they may require to implement those.

Slide 22

So just a couple of our little tasks that we've been able to – or control measures we've been able to implement. So you can see there's a staff member there who is pulling – who is emptying the rubbish bins effectively, a 240 litre wheelie bin. When we talked to the team members this is obviously observed during our sessions that we attended at the facility and it was advised that this is the way they had emptied the rubbish for a long period of time because the truck wouldn't fit under their canopy that you can see that's above the bins there.

So we looked at that and though 'Oh goodness we need to help with this one.' So we put it through as the second task to be discussed during the training for maintenance areas. Look the staff came up with some fantastic ideas, probably not quite financially viable - bin lifters on the back of utes and all different kinds of things. We went to the Sunshine Coast Regional Council and thought 'Okay. Is there some other way that we can get these bins emptied?' They actually have a Waste Management Liaison Officer who we all met with – some maintenance staff and both the trainers.

We went round and reviewed all the waste vessels as they call them and it was identified that these bins could actually – we could change the bin style and actually so now you can see on the screen there we went from a 240 litre which you can see there's multiple bins there, we went to three 660 litre bins which meant that they didn't have to be physically emptied by a staff member. They just needed to be pushed down to an area where there was what they call a presentation pad. From there the truck comes and empties. So effectively we have eliminated that task by pulling that rubbish out of that. So we thought 'Okay let's maybe have a look what everyone else is doing at other sites.'

So we did a full organisational review on that and implemented changes across the board. This actually saved the organisation just over $10,000 by changing the types of wastage vessels that our rubbish is collected from. So we're pretty proud of this one because it's effectively eliminated the task but it has also saved the organisation a great deal of money which was fantastic.

Slide 23

So here's another one. Look this is – a lot of people kind of see this as not a very huge one but there's a couple of team members that work in this particular facility that are quite short. So accessing the bins - there's a distance of about 400 to 500ml between the gate and the actual bin. So the person had to outstretch themselves to actually lift the lid and then they had to in their words 'hoick the rubbish into the bin' which we just thought 'Oh goodness. We can't have that.' So we asked 'What's the fence for?" Apparently the fence was installed many years ago when they had the smaller rubbish bins and people didn't like seeing them. So the fence was removed. Obviously this was done in consultation with the maintenance manager and also the facility manager and the staff. Then the picture you can see on the right is where the new bins are installed. Then they've had some nice bamboo stuff put at the back so the residents aren't looking at the bins and this is the rear of the building. So it's not actually – you know, it's not an eyesore at the front of the building.

Slide 24

So this is another one. As I said this is for our clinical care team in relation to bariatric elders weighing 140-150 kilos. Manually transferring or rolling that elder currently using three to four team members - huge amount of staff and this one was identified through work-related injuries. This one obviously a very expensive piece of equipment however the amount of cost for claims introducing this one has actually taken out that, you know, three to four team members manually handling. It's an electric device that turns the elder in bed and as you can see there there's only one team member and all they need to do is just place their hands. That's really just a security thing for the elder. So we felt that that one was great as well.

Slide 25

So this is the mobile hotbox that I was talking about. So you can see there it's a really tall piece of equipment. It actually – what I did forget to mention earlier was it actually transports dinner plates with meals that have already been served on them, 50 dinner plates from the kitchen area to the main dining room area. So it's 50 plates, 50 meals and it came to two staff pushing that. So the manager has used the PErforM documentation to assist them to get this new piece of equipment and as you can see it's half the size.

So they've actually changed the process with this as well because they felt that not only was this piece of equipment quite tall, it was actually very heavy to push because of the content. So now they've obviously purchased the smaller one. So they transport the meals in the bain dishes in the small hotbox. Then they head out to the dining room which is transferred into the bain-marie there that's in the dining room and the meals are served from there. Feedback from the residents has been great with that one because it reminds them of being at home and having their meals served up and having that great smell and everything. So it's actually – that's been a really good one as well. So that was a change of process as well. So we felt that that was a great one.

Slide 26

Here's another one. Catering staff having to fill drinks. So the drinks would be all different types of fluids whether they be thickened fluids or whatever they were. There's approximately 100 plus residents that they have to do this for in this particular area and as you can see that photo on the left hand side – that's Deb there – her elbow is quite high up in the air and that is just such an awkward posture. So imagine doing that for quite some time, pouring those drinks and sometimes it was done with water. So it was a large water jug or it would be a hot pot of tea, whatever the required drink was. So not only was there that awkward posture there was also that – a large amount of exertion to hold those commercial sized teapots quite high up there.

That was really quite a simple fix actually when we talked to staff and said 'Look what can you use that you can, you know, so you've got your arms down next to you and out in front of you at a nice working height?' They said 'We can use this trolley.' So that trolley now is – that's where they fill the drinks and they've actually – you can see there on an urn. Instead of filling up the big pot they actually use the urn from there. So that's also reduced the weight of that lifting as well which was great.

Slide 27

Okay so the stats. Most importantly to some people here's our stats. So from our workplace incidents from the 1st of July 2011 which was obviously the date that we went from being covered for workers' compensation from WorkCover to being self insured through 'til the 30th of September 2015 you can see that since our rollout of PErforM, the PErforM program in May 2014 the number of incidents has reduced dramatically in the areas where the education has occurred. So we just want to show you here that during that period of time the post prior to PErforMing rolled out, so on the individual areas catering was six, laundry was two, maintenance three, the Care Centre at Coolum was 13 and another Care Centre at Rod Voller is 17.

So after the rollout of that PErforM program the total incidents for that for worker-related injuries I must say is down to two. So that was one in catering and one in Rod Voller. So I just need to point out here that the one in catering was actually a journey claim. So it actually wasn't related to a manual handling issue and the other one which was in Rod Voller was actually an elder aggression against a worker. So that's where an elder's obviously grabbed their wrist or something and you know, and hurt them in some way.

So our stats show that during that period of time we have not had a manual handling work injury for that period of time in the areas that we have rolled the PErforM program out to which really excites us. It's great. Effectively being a Claims Officer as well I could put myself out of a job however you know, it's great to see stats like that and once we actually sat down and worked our stats out we were actually really quite excited about those.

Slide 28

So the trainers will continue to roll out the PErforM program to the individual sites because we feel that having them specifically catered for those areas seems to be working really well engaging the workers and empowering them to come up with those control measures. So we expect to complete our rollout project in early to mid 2017. We always thought it was going to be a three year rollout plan because of all our areas that we need to go to and the great thing is I think this shows the executive committee approval and to the PErforM program as well. It's now incorporated into Sundale's corporate orientation for all our new team members as well which is held every month. So we're quite excited about that as well to be able to present the program as part of that corporate orientation which is great.

So just the stats up on the screen at the moment - you can see these are the areas that we have not rolled out to. So you can see that this is why we needed to do something with our manual handling training for those other areas. So we've got a fairly large job ahead of us still but I think the areas that we've rolled out to our stats are showing that it's working which is great.

Slide 29

Questions?

Moderator:

Thanks Nicolle for sharing your insights on implementation of the PErforM program within Sundale. We have had a couple of questions come through from the audience during the webinar. So firstly what did you do to overcome any resistance to the program from your workers?

Nicolle Whiteley:

Resistance from the workers – I think there was a couple of different areas. I think the first one was when we looked at talking to the staff about how they could maybe do that task more safely. I think they initially thought that we were looking at budget cutting for them with hours. 'How can you do this task safely, more quickly?' that sort of thing. As they saw as we rolled the program out and we assisted them to come up with those control measures and we rolled those out the staff did tend to see that things were getting fixed, things were changing, processes were changing for the better. They did feel that it was very – the feedback we've received now is that they feel the training is definitely focused – staff member focused and it's about their safety and keeping them safe.

I think the other thing was too engaging the workers was our biggest – definitely our biggest thing. Once they could see what we were presenting to them wasn't us fixing their issues it was us presenting them with the education so that they could come up with those control measures and I think that's worked really well. The support from obviously the Executive Committee as well to keep rolling this program out.

Moderator:

Great. Thanks Nicolle. Next question is how did you work with management and have them understand the need for implementation of the PErforM training program?

Nicolle Whiteley:

In the initial stages we looked at current training that we actually had and it did seem very clinically focused. It was probably like we had. We did provide some training for hazardous manual handling however we felt that with the increasing injuries that we were seeing obviously there was a need for that program to be implemented. With management I think it was looking at those injuries and the claim costs versus this program being rolled out.

Moderator:

Thank you. Another question. Do you have a pre-employment screening program within your organisation?

Nicolle Whiteley:

Yes we do. We now have a pre-employment medical assessment which over the past 18 months has evolved. It is probably a more detailed approach to screening staff prior to the commencement of their work. Obviously at Sundale we have a lot of staff members who have worked there for a very long time and we do have an ageing workforce. So there was also the need for this program to be rolled out so that we effectively are going to manage those hazardous tasks that the ageing workforce are also completing.

Moderator:

Thank you. Right. Feel free to send your questions through and if we have an opportunity at the end we will answer some more. Otherwise we'll have them for you after the webinar at the conclusion once the presentation and the slides are available.

Slide 30

I will now hand you over to Michelle James. Michelle is also happy to answer any questions about the PErforM program in general at the conclusion of her update. Thanks Michelle.

Slide 31

Michelle James:

Well thanks so much Nicolle for sharing Sundale's journey with us. It's been really exciting to see success with PErforM in the health and community sector. I guess often the PErforM program isn't considered in health and community because we do advise that PErforM isn't suitable for people handling tasks because they are a very complex task but Sundale have had a lot of benefits from using PErforM in the non-clinical areas which really is fantastic and hopefully that will inspire other health and community organisations to give the program a go.

It's also been really interesting I think how you've approached the process, the way you have designed your worker training sessions. They've really been very customised and also how you've come to your control ideas, your actual solutions. For example you've looked at your supply chain and you've looked at redesigning systems there. So I'm sure there's a lot of ideas that you've talked about that can apply to all types of workplaces and give them some benefit.

So before I go on any further with the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland update I just wanted to acknowledge the members of the PErforM network that have come in person today into the city for this meeting.

Slide 32

So for anyone listening who would like to know more about PErforM please go to our website which is on the slide there – worksafe.qld.gov.au. We have a number of resources available to help you implement PErforM and you can see some listed on the slide. So we do have the two page PErforM Risk Assessment Tool there but as we've seen from Sundale's case study implementing PErforM involves a lot more than just printing out a risk assessment and completing that. It really is an entire program.

So if you want more information you can look at our handbooks and the Implementation Manual. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland also runs free PErforM workshops for industry. So if you want to see if PErforM is for your organisation please feel free to attend one of these workshops. We do have our workshops for the first half of 2016 up on our website now and you can register to attend. We will be adding a few more workshops at some additional locations like Cairns and Bowen Hills if your preferred location isn't up there. So just keep an eye out on that page.

Slide 33

Now I'll just give you a really brief update on some upcoming events and some new resources that I think would be really relevant to our audience. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland are running the Construction Work Health Forum on the 1st of March next year. So it's a one-day event and registrations and more information on that forum are now live on our website.

So in the middle there you can see some yellow documents. So Safe Work Australia have released a suite of vibration guidance materials and these are available on their websites. So that's Safe Work Australia. So these documents cover hand-arm vibration and whole body vibration. They go through the assessment and management of vibration.

So we've also got some newly released young worker resources. Now you'll find these on the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland website. So the toolkit here is a guide that helps employers of young workers, training providers, parents and care givers to really engage with young people and to help them to build their capability when it comes to being safe and productive at work. This toolkit also includes a couple of PowerPoint templates. One is a template PowerPoint presentation designed to target the young workers themselves and also one for the managers and supervisors of young workers.

Slide 34

We have the newly released Good Work Design Handbook. So this handbook you'll find on the Safe Work Australia website and this handbook, it's great. It applies to any workplace and it features 10 principles which can demonstrate how to achieve good design of work and work processes.

Following on from this handbook, we have also developed a film and this features three Queensland workplaces who've applied these principles. So the film is called Good Work Through Effective Design – Case Study and that's also on the Safe Work Australia website. So if you want to have a look at that just go to the Virtual Seminar Series and it's one of the films there.

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland are running a return on investment project and this is really looking at quantifying the organisational benefits that investing in workplace health and safety can bring. For example, a recent pilot in Queensland has already found that – identified an ergonomics intervention at one organisation had an ROI of $2.74 for every $1 of costs and a pay back within the first month. So it warrants a lot more research to be done to gain a better understanding of how improved safety generates a positive ROI.

One of the goals that's hoped for out of this research is to develop a web-based tool for Queensland businesses. So they'll be able to go online and use this to help calculate the cost benefits of investing in work health and safety at their workplace. So if your organisation wants to get involved with this project or if you just want more information you can just contact us at the email address on the slide.

Now sit stand workstations and sedentary work are certainly very topical subjects at the moment. So there is a Workplace Health and Safety Queensland webinar today at 12:00 on that subject. If you would like to join that webinar you can go to the Work Safe website and just look there under 'What's On?' to register for that webinar on the 12th. It will be recorded and available on the website later anyway.

Now, we also have recently made available some guidelines for sit stand workstations and a fact sheet on sedentary work. Again, you'll find these resources at the Work Safe website.

Slide 35

Well thanks very much everyone for joining us online today. The minutes and PowerPoints for today's webinar will be sent out to those who are members of the PErforM network shortly. Now if you have implemented PErforM at your workplace and would like to be our next case study please get in contact with us. You could send an email and if you're interested you might want to write this one down – send an email to perform@oir.qld.gov.au. Now we'll aim to have our next PErforM network webinar meeting in February 2016. So look out for that. So I'll hand back over to our moderator Jane now.

Moderator:

Thank you very much Michelle. We just have time for a few more questions for Nicolle. Nicolle did you have any external stakeholders involved in your PErforM program at the initial stages?

Nicolle Whiteley:

Yes we did. When we got all our resources together and we were planning to roll out the generic PErforM program we sat down and we actually met with an external OT Nicole Marshall from the coast. We got a bit of advice from her in the sense of 'Should we make this specific or should we do the generic rollout?' So consultation with her was fantastic and gave us that individual focus which was great.

Moderator:

Thank you. Next question. Do you run any other manual handling training in conjunction with the PErforM or is this now the sole form of your training?

Nicolle Whiteley:

No. We still have our Safe Elder Transfer Training which is the manual handling training for elders which we commenced in 1998 – we first rolled that out. So all care staff do the manual handling training and every other staff member – so that's care staff included and support service staff and administration staff – they participate in the PErforM training as well.

Moderator:

Great. Thank you. That concludes our webinar this morning. We will make all the other available answers to the questions that you have submitted available as we said before through our online link at the conclusion of the webinar today.

Thank you very much and good bye.

[End of Transcript]