Ensuring full dignity for those we serve, as well as providing high quality services, has been my prime mover since taking office as Parliamentary Secretary for the Rights of People with a Disability and Active Ageing. I knew full well that my work would necessarily be dedicated to these people who are among those needing a higher level of support from the rest of society.

It was clear from start that serving those who we consider as vulnerable is not merely a matter of caring in the sense of providing anything that may help them, as if it were run of the mill. Everything had to develop out of respect and appreciation, based on a comprehensive and genuine recognition of the rights and expectations of these people, however challenging that may be.

Needless to say, no matter how diligently planned and structured our services might be, we will always need people who, in the first place, understand and endorse our basic philosophy. It is basic to any organisation that the staff, at all levels, must first have at heart the fundamental purpose of the organisation for which they work. In the case of my Parliamentary Secretariat, they need to comprehensively embrace the objectives of their work so they can fully contribute and collaborate in conveying the government's policies in tangible and effective ways. With each step, at every level, there is a need to be fully aware that we are here to serve - in our case, serving those who not only require but deserve - more support than other members of the community.

No amount of legislation, planning or regulations can fulfil their purpose unless we have dedicated people on the ground who take pride in being the real human element that provides the end product or service. Investing in the skills and abilities of these people was therefore a major task I had to take in hand. I immediately started programming intensive training courses for both the long and short-term upgrading of skills, specifically aimed at achieving the highest professionalism among all those who work in the care of the elderly field.

It is acknowledged that, in itself, career development is a major component of job satisfaction. Apart from job security, earnings, working conditions and environment, staff development ranks among the prime issues that motivate employees in any organisation. The opportunity to use individual skills is also rated highly among the factors that provide job satisfaction.

The nature of the work itself in serving those who frequently depend on our dedication can add impetus to better teamwork, which is also one of my aims. This is quite evident when I take a quick glance at the work structures at St Vincent de Paule Residence, where teamwork at all levels along the chain of duties, is paramount. Caring for the elderly, especially those who - as a result of poor health, cannot stay as active as desired - is not simply a job. A corporate culture of care entails dedication, renewed skills, ethical attitudes and, most of all, good communication with management, based on a sense of belonging among the workers themselves at all levels.

These basic components for ideal working environments prompted us - during the last 12 months - to invest hundreds of thousands of euros through both EU and government funds in training programmes. Well over 1,000 members of staff - in Malta and in Gozo - have successfully completed induction, refresher or professional training, including accreditation from the University of Malta. We have also established an in-house training centre that is fast becoming a specialised learning hub within St Vincent's Residence itself.

As Parliamentary Secretary, I have always stressed the need for intensive and consistent training for those who can take pride in being the brave heart and humane face of our mission. Through such training, we can provide opportunities for career advancement, job meaningfulness, self-accomplishment, healthy teamwork, better relationships with fellow workers and individual confidence towards achieving our final goal: to serve those who deserve - and can rely on - what we are duty-bound to provide to the highest level possible.

Whilst ensuring that all our efforts lead to the accomplishment of what is our call of duty, we never fail to ensure that the smallest individual failure is immediately addressed. This we do not only out of respect for the dignity of our residents, but also to remove any possible doubt regarding the abilities and skills that our workforce can offer. We are adamant that no one should be allowed to tarnish the quality of service we strive so hard to ensure.

Since last year, we have a specific law in place to combat any form of abuse of the elderly by whomever and wherever. This is the legal tool required to enable us to take action immediately if even the smallest incident involving unethical behaviour is reported to management. My managers are fully aware of the action that is required when such reports are made, including the involvement of the police and subsequent court proceedings, if considered necessary.

Having said that, I want to publicly declare my complete trust in the hard work and dedication shown by our staff, fully aware as I am of the challenging situations they are required to handle at times. As a matter of fact, I believe the whole nation should be grateful to all those who work in the sectors of elderly care and active ageing. 

This respect for our workers is also part of what has motivated the establishment of the National Minimum Standards for Care Homes for Older Persons that I have launched in the past week, which should in fact help those who manage such homes - and their staff - ensure that the services provided reach the levels required. Not only can management and staff measure their own performance against these standards, but they make them aware that gross negligence can lead to the loss of the licence required to operate.

In tandem with this, we will continue our fight against precarious work and guarantee full respect of workers' rights. With our two new contracts for care workers and cleaners we introduced new conditions and safeguards to ensure that these employees are given their dues for the hard work they do. I also encourage all those who feel that their rights are being breached to stand up and report this to the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations which has the specific task of defending employees and enforcing their rights.

Over and above all these considerations, I also endorse the fact that we need to express recognition of employee job performance, being fully aware that this adds to job satisfaction. While recognition alone might not be sufficient to retain top performers, it helps clarify organisational goals and obtain a more precise picture of employees' accomplishments. As well as rewarding the best, we intend to be grateful to all the others who may likewise work as hard but may, unfortunately, go unnoticed. 

With this in mind, we have recently named the Worker of the Year at St Vincent de Paule long-term care facility, Ms Lauren Pulis. As I said at the presentation of the award to Ms Pulis, all those nominated by their peers have already reached the level of admiration to which any diligent worker aspires. In the end, such awards should elicit the best performance possible on the part of those whom I honestly consider my trusted collaborators and immediate representatives with those whom the whole nation expects us to serve and support.

As Parliamentary Secretary, I am proud to reiterate that I consider all those who work in our services for the elderly as the brave heart and humane face of our mission. I am truly grateful - but we need to work harder!

 

Dr Caruana is Parliamentary Secretary for the Rights of People with Disability and Active Ageing