Independence is crucial to a successful review, but how well is the idea of “independence” actually understood? Independence is about many things - much more than money and relationships. It is vital to ensure that there are systems, processes, and controls, all of which act to protect the judgements made; just as important are honesty, integrity, and accountability in professional practice.
This document discusses employee separation and retention. It covers managing both involuntary and voluntary employee turnover. For involuntary turnover, it discusses employment-at-will doctrine, principles of justice in discipline and dismissal cases, and progressive discipline programs. For voluntary turnover, it discusses the causes of job dissatisfaction and withdrawal, sources of job satisfaction, measuring job satisfaction, and using surveys to promote employee retention.
- The document discusses two types of assessments used in hiring and team integration: ipsative and normative. Ipsative assessments are self-reported while normative assessments measure responses against sample populations.
- Normative assessments are more reliable tools as they have higher reliability rates and can detect inconsistencies. They can better predict how individuals will react to change and are useful for coaching, team integration, and succession planning.
- When using assessments to integrate management teams during acquisitions or mergers, normative assessments can help understand cultural differences and how to minimize disruptions caused by organizational changes.
This document discusses the importance of trust in fostering innovation within organizations. It outlines a Behavioral Trust Framework (BTF) that identifies specific trust-building and trust-damaging behaviors. The BTF allows individuals and organizations to understand how to develop trust and collaboration, which are necessary for innovation. Applying the BTF can help reduce controls and proxies for trust, allowing for greater innovation capacity. Managing trust behaviors, rather than just outcomes, is key to catalyzing innovation.
This document discusses organizational development (OD) consulting and the consultant-client relationship. It outlines the roles and responsibilities of consultants, including providing information and recommendations to clients, solving problems, making diagnoses, and assisting with implementation. The document also discusses areas of issues that can arise in the relationship, such as defining responsibilities, building trust, and ensuring ethical standards. Finally, it provides tips for consultants on building effective relationships with clients and achieving positive outcomes.
Auditing involves systematically examining activities, events, books, and documents to verify that they comply with established policies and procedures. An audit provides an independent examination to determine if financial statements accurately portray an organization's finances. Auditor independence, requiring integrity and an objective approach, is vital for audit reliability. However, an auditor must also act with reasonable skill, care, and caution given each case's particular circumstances, as the sole responsibility is not to detect all issues but rather conduct the audit professionally and ethically.
The document discusses how internal auditors can improve their influence within an organization by adopting consulting skills and techniques. It outlines how internal auditing is defined as a consulting activity, but many auditors have not studied effective consulting. Using consulting approaches can help auditors collaborate better with clients to deliver unwanted news and influence positive change. The document provides examples of consulting techniques auditors can use, such as active listening, questioning skills, understanding clients' perspectives, and negotiating to meet clients' needs. This helps auditors establish trust, deliver value, and overcome resistance from clients.
A robust whistleblowing regime is now an integral part of governance.pdfanjanaarts2014
A robust whistleblowing regime is now an integral part of governance best practice for all
companies, regardless of their size or location. If you have not already done so, you should think
about introducing a whistleblowing policy or code of conduct. But simply having a
whistleblowing policy and hotline is not enough to create a culture in which employees are
genuinely encouraged to make disclosures. So what can you do to embed an open culture and
make sure your whistleblowing regime is effective?
Top-level commitment
The CEO and board should clearly support and sponsor any whistleblowing regime. Board
members or other senior managers must be seen to respect the policy. If anyone discourages
whistleblowing this will significantly undermine other efforts. Senior accountability A senior
member of management must have overall responsibility for embedding the culture of internal
disclosure throughout the company – particularly within management.This person should also
announce the policy to all employees, manage and review it, and feedback on it to the board.
What’s more, he or she must have enough resources to be able to do this well.
Communication and training
Employees must know the regime is in place and understand when and how to use it. Some
businesses ensure this with regular emails, videos and presentations from the CEO, responsible
manager or general counsel. Comprehensive training must be compulsory for all, run regularly
and records of employee attendance should be kept. It may be sensible to require employees to
sign an annual declaration that they have read and understood the policy and received training. If
there is a danger of training fatigue, make whistleblowing training part of the company’s general
compliance training and reserve more intensive training for employees with managerial
responsibilities.
Regular review and audit
Regularly review any whistleblowing policies and prepare reports on the number and types of
disclosures received in any given year. Asking the questions below will help your board to assess
how the policy can be applied most effectively.
• Are disclosures widespread across the company or very limited?
• Are they concentrated in a particular business area or scattered across all areas?
• Are the numbers of disclosures going up or down?
• Do employees feel able to make disclosures?
• Are the types of issues being disclosed through the policy appropriate and sensible?
• How have disclosures been investigated and followed up?
You could also give employees updates on a more general level. This lets them see that people
are making disclosures and that those disclosures are being encouraged and dealt with
appropriately. Bring the information to life with anonymised examples of disclosures and how
they were handled
Proper investigation and action
It is essential that the whistleblowing policy is enforced. Any disclosure must be investigated
promptly and properly. Take appropriate action at the right level. The pol.
This document discusses key concepts related to professional ethics for external auditors. It explains the importance of independence, competence, judgment, skepticism, and objectivity in ensuring the credibility of an auditor's work. Independence is described as being both independent in mind and appearance. Threats to an auditor's independence include self-interest threats from financial ties to clients and self-review threats from providing non-audit services that impact financial reporting. The document also covers professional ethics codes and maintaining integrity, confidentiality, and proper professional behavior.
This document discusses employee separation and retention. It covers managing both involuntary and voluntary employee turnover. For involuntary turnover, it discusses employment-at-will doctrine, principles of justice in discipline and dismissal cases, and progressive discipline programs. For voluntary turnover, it discusses the causes of job dissatisfaction and withdrawal, sources of job satisfaction, measuring job satisfaction, and using surveys to promote employee retention.
- The document discusses two types of assessments used in hiring and team integration: ipsative and normative. Ipsative assessments are self-reported while normative assessments measure responses against sample populations.
- Normative assessments are more reliable tools as they have higher reliability rates and can detect inconsistencies. They can better predict how individuals will react to change and are useful for coaching, team integration, and succession planning.
- When using assessments to integrate management teams during acquisitions or mergers, normative assessments can help understand cultural differences and how to minimize disruptions caused by organizational changes.
This document discusses the importance of trust in fostering innovation within organizations. It outlines a Behavioral Trust Framework (BTF) that identifies specific trust-building and trust-damaging behaviors. The BTF allows individuals and organizations to understand how to develop trust and collaboration, which are necessary for innovation. Applying the BTF can help reduce controls and proxies for trust, allowing for greater innovation capacity. Managing trust behaviors, rather than just outcomes, is key to catalyzing innovation.
This document discusses organizational development (OD) consulting and the consultant-client relationship. It outlines the roles and responsibilities of consultants, including providing information and recommendations to clients, solving problems, making diagnoses, and assisting with implementation. The document also discusses areas of issues that can arise in the relationship, such as defining responsibilities, building trust, and ensuring ethical standards. Finally, it provides tips for consultants on building effective relationships with clients and achieving positive outcomes.
Auditing involves systematically examining activities, events, books, and documents to verify that they comply with established policies and procedures. An audit provides an independent examination to determine if financial statements accurately portray an organization's finances. Auditor independence, requiring integrity and an objective approach, is vital for audit reliability. However, an auditor must also act with reasonable skill, care, and caution given each case's particular circumstances, as the sole responsibility is not to detect all issues but rather conduct the audit professionally and ethically.
The document discusses how internal auditors can improve their influence within an organization by adopting consulting skills and techniques. It outlines how internal auditing is defined as a consulting activity, but many auditors have not studied effective consulting. Using consulting approaches can help auditors collaborate better with clients to deliver unwanted news and influence positive change. The document provides examples of consulting techniques auditors can use, such as active listening, questioning skills, understanding clients' perspectives, and negotiating to meet clients' needs. This helps auditors establish trust, deliver value, and overcome resistance from clients.
A robust whistleblowing regime is now an integral part of governance.pdfanjanaarts2014
A robust whistleblowing regime is now an integral part of governance best practice for all
companies, regardless of their size or location. If you have not already done so, you should think
about introducing a whistleblowing policy or code of conduct. But simply having a
whistleblowing policy and hotline is not enough to create a culture in which employees are
genuinely encouraged to make disclosures. So what can you do to embed an open culture and
make sure your whistleblowing regime is effective?
Top-level commitment
The CEO and board should clearly support and sponsor any whistleblowing regime. Board
members or other senior managers must be seen to respect the policy. If anyone discourages
whistleblowing this will significantly undermine other efforts. Senior accountability A senior
member of management must have overall responsibility for embedding the culture of internal
disclosure throughout the company – particularly within management.This person should also
announce the policy to all employees, manage and review it, and feedback on it to the board.
What’s more, he or she must have enough resources to be able to do this well.
Communication and training
Employees must know the regime is in place and understand when and how to use it. Some
businesses ensure this with regular emails, videos and presentations from the CEO, responsible
manager or general counsel. Comprehensive training must be compulsory for all, run regularly
and records of employee attendance should be kept. It may be sensible to require employees to
sign an annual declaration that they have read and understood the policy and received training. If
there is a danger of training fatigue, make whistleblowing training part of the company’s general
compliance training and reserve more intensive training for employees with managerial
responsibilities.
Regular review and audit
Regularly review any whistleblowing policies and prepare reports on the number and types of
disclosures received in any given year. Asking the questions below will help your board to assess
how the policy can be applied most effectively.
• Are disclosures widespread across the company or very limited?
• Are they concentrated in a particular business area or scattered across all areas?
• Are the numbers of disclosures going up or down?
• Do employees feel able to make disclosures?
• Are the types of issues being disclosed through the policy appropriate and sensible?
• How have disclosures been investigated and followed up?
You could also give employees updates on a more general level. This lets them see that people
are making disclosures and that those disclosures are being encouraged and dealt with
appropriately. Bring the information to life with anonymised examples of disclosures and how
they were handled
Proper investigation and action
It is essential that the whistleblowing policy is enforced. Any disclosure must be investigated
promptly and properly. Take appropriate action at the right level. The pol.
This document discusses key concepts related to professional ethics for external auditors. It explains the importance of independence, competence, judgment, skepticism, and objectivity in ensuring the credibility of an auditor's work. Independence is described as being both independent in mind and appearance. Threats to an auditor's independence include self-interest threats from financial ties to clients and self-review threats from providing non-audit services that impact financial reporting. The document also covers professional ethics codes and maintaining integrity, confidentiality, and proper professional behavior.
Footprints_ComplaintsTraining_Cover_CFO_OralJane Oliver
This document provides guidance on conducting complaint investigations and managing a complaint system. It discusses the key principles of an effective complaint management system, including visibility, accessibility, and continual improvement. It also outlines the steps to take in an investigation, such as preparing a complaint management plan, gathering evidence through interviews and documents, consulting parties to find a resolution, and ensuring decisions are upheld. Finally, it provides tips for interviewing parties as part of an investigation, emphasizing the need for impartiality, preparation, and managing expectations.
Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse As Consultantbodo-con
The document discusses the role of advanced practice nurses as consultants. It defines consultation as involving two or more healthcare workers assessing a patient together. Consultants provide advisory expertise to consultees, who are responsible for implementing any recommendations. Effective consultation involves establishing relationships, problem identification, goal-setting, action, feedback, and termination. Advanced practice nurses can become competent consultants with experience, knowledge of systems change and various consultation skills.
Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse as Consultantbodo-con
The document discusses the role of advanced practice nurses as consultants. It defines consultation as involving two or more healthcare workers assessing a patient together. Consultants provide advisory expertise to consultees, who are responsible for implementing any recommendations. Effective consultation involves establishing relationships, problem identification, goal-setting, action, feedback, and termination. Advanced practice nurses can become competent consultants with experience, knowledge of systems change and consultation skills.
This document introduces scales to measure qualitative results of development work. Scales allow assessment of outcomes like empowerment, resilience, and institutional capacity. They describe performance levels along a ladder or phases. Developing scales participatorily helps ensure stakeholder values are considered. Scales can systematically monitor qualitative changes among groups and aggregate diverse data better than counting activities or collecting testimonies alone. They provide a fuller picture of situations than single indicators.
This document introduces the concept of evidence-based practice and its importance for management decision making. It argues that decisions should be based on the best available evidence from multiple sources, rather than just personal experience or popular ideas. Evidence-based practice involves asking questions, finding relevant evidence, critically evaluating it, weighing the evidence, making decisions based on it, and assessing the outcomes. Evidence can come from scientific research, organizational data, practitioner experience, and stakeholder values. Relying solely on personal judgment leads to biases and ineffective practices. Evidence-based practice helps improve decision making and outcomes.
This document provides an overview of a case study on depression. It describes the participants in the study, which included 18 patients who met the inclusion criteria of having major depressive disorder. The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for treating depression. Patients received 8 to 16 sessions of individual CBT and completed assessments before and after treatment to measure changes in depression symptoms. The results showed that CBT was effective at reducing depressive symptoms, with the majority of patients no longer meeting the criteria for major depressive disorder after treatment. CBT was found to be a viable treatment option for depression.
Sterling White Paper - Selecting an Investment AdvisorSterling Trustees
The document provides guidance to clients on choosing the right investment advisor. It discusses assembling a selection committee and defining family goals. Key factors in defining an advisor's role include whether they have discretionary or non-discretionary authority, if they offer advice-only or product-driven solutions, and if they are a large firm or boutique. The document also discusses assessing important factors, creating an evaluation scorecard, making a decision, communication, and ongoing monitoring of the advisor.
The document discusses different approaches and models for consulting. It argues that the most effective approach is to create a helping relationship with the client where the consultant helps the client diagnose problems themselves and generate their own solutions. This empowering approach leads to more credible, trusted outcomes versus detached, "sell and tell" models where recommendations may be dismissed. The key is for consultants to jointly explore issues with clients rather than make recommendations from a distance. The goal is to build the client's capabilities for ongoing learning and improvement.
The document discusses organizational trust and its value. It conducted research that identified four key reasons why being a trustworthy organization is valuable: 1) It drives overall business performance by gaining customer loyalty and advocacy, attracting investors and partners, etc. 2) It puts an organization in a stronger position during times of crisis by having more goodwill from stakeholders. 3) It overcomes the growing skepticism that stakeholders have towards organizations. 4) It allows an organization to manage stakeholder relationships proactively by understanding how trust impacts future behavior. The research also developed a model and methodology for organizations to measure, diagnose, and take actions to build and maintain trust levels.
1. The document contains multiple choice questions about counseling ethics codes and standards regarding issues like confidentiality, dual relationships, informed consent, and competency.
2. It tests knowledge of ethical principles such as client welfare, avoiding harm, informed consent, and maintaining appropriate boundaries in professional relationships.
3. The questions cover topics like ethical decision-making, legal and regulatory requirements for counselors, and clients' rights regarding privacy, treatment, and access to care.
Requirements and Questions.docxBSBWRK520 – Manage Employee.docxheunice
Requirements and Questions.docx
BSBWRK520 – Manage Employee Relations
Font: Times New Roman
Size: 12
Spacing: 1.0
7 APA Style reference and In-text citation
Note: All the answers in these questions are in the “Guides.pdf” but you need to find your own answer. Explain, evaluate and criticise ideas. Please read it!
1. Develop and deliver training to individuals in conflict-management techniques and procedures. (114 words)
2. Identify sources of conflict or grievance according to legal requirements, and where possible, alleviate or eliminate them. (112 words)
3. Clarify issues in dispute by evaluating documentation and other information sources. (112 words)
4. If required, obtain expert or specialist advice and/or refer to precedents. (112 words)
5. Determine and document the desired outcomes, strategy and timeframes for the negotiation. (112 words)
6. In negotiation, advocate the organisation’s position to obtain agreement. (114 words)
7. Certify, the agreed outcomes with the relevant jurisdiction. (112 words)
8. Follow up on the agreements, and where groups or individuals fall to abide by the agreements, take remedial action. (112 words)
Guides.pdf
Developed by Enhance Your Future Pty Ltd 49
BSBWRK520 - Manage employee relations
Develop and deliver training to individuals in
conflict-management techniques and procedures
Conflict management is the process of breaking down the conflict in a way that identifies the
issues, proposes opportunities for negotiation and results in positive action. It is not, however,
about winning or getting everything that you want nor is about standing your ground.
Whilst we would all love to avoid conflict, Australian workplaces generally look at conflict as
being a part of a diverse workforce with differing views, cultural needs and other forms of
diversity. Instead of focusing on the elimination we look, instead, at controlling it reducing the
reasons for conflict and improving our response with the right policies, procedures, strategies,
plans., communication methods and frequency, skills and knowledge and more.
There are three types of conflict management that are used in businesses, and this generally
represents the key levels of procedural planning – the first being internal, the second being
assisted internal and the third being assisted external. The fastest for everyone is the internal
unassisted procedure where the employee initiates action with their line manager and works,
using a system of policies and procedures, to resolve the issue with the appropriate staff. The
most expensive, time-consuming, slowest and least beneficial is an external assisted resolution
where the employee takes their complaint to another body for arbitration through legal
proceedings.
Because everyone wants to avoid arbitration, it is helpful to have a number of internal conflict
resolution mechanisms and good relationships with assistive services, unions.
Requirements and Questions.docxBSBWRK520 – Manage Employee.docxaudeleypearl
Requirements and Questions.docx
BSBWRK520 – Manage Employee Relations
Font: Times New Roman
Size: 12
Spacing: 1.0
7 APA Style reference and In-text citation
Note: All the answers in these questions are in the “Guides.pdf” but you need to find your own answer. Explain, evaluate and criticise ideas. Please read it!
1. Develop and deliver training to individuals in conflict-management techniques and procedures. (114 words)
2. Identify sources of conflict or grievance according to legal requirements, and where possible, alleviate or eliminate them. (112 words)
3. Clarify issues in dispute by evaluating documentation and other information sources. (112 words)
4. If required, obtain expert or specialist advice and/or refer to precedents. (112 words)
5. Determine and document the desired outcomes, strategy and timeframes for the negotiation. (112 words)
6. In negotiation, advocate the organisation’s position to obtain agreement. (114 words)
7. Certify, the agreed outcomes with the relevant jurisdiction. (112 words)
8. Follow up on the agreements, and where groups or individuals fall to abide by the agreements, take remedial action. (112 words)
Guides.pdf
Developed by Enhance Your Future Pty Ltd 49
BSBWRK520 - Manage employee relations
Develop and deliver training to individuals in
conflict-management techniques and procedures
Conflict management is the process of breaking down the conflict in a way that identifies the
issues, proposes opportunities for negotiation and results in positive action. It is not, however,
about winning or getting everything that you want nor is about standing your ground.
Whilst we would all love to avoid conflict, Australian workplaces generally look at conflict as
being a part of a diverse workforce with differing views, cultural needs and other forms of
diversity. Instead of focusing on the elimination we look, instead, at controlling it reducing the
reasons for conflict and improving our response with the right policies, procedures, strategies,
plans., communication methods and frequency, skills and knowledge and more.
There are three types of conflict management that are used in businesses, and this generally
represents the key levels of procedural planning – the first being internal, the second being
assisted internal and the third being assisted external. The fastest for everyone is the internal
unassisted procedure where the employee initiates action with their line manager and works,
using a system of policies and procedures, to resolve the issue with the appropriate staff. The
most expensive, time-consuming, slowest and least beneficial is an external assisted resolution
where the employee takes their complaint to another body for arbitration through legal
proceedings.
Because everyone wants to avoid arbitration, it is helpful to have a number of internal conflict
resolution mechanisms and good relationships with assistive services, unions ...
The 9 Elements of Successful Health Care Consulting Whitepaper.Finaltigcap
The document outlines nine elements for successful healthcare consulting project initiation: 1) Understand the project objectives and benefits, 2) Identify major stakeholders, 3) Start drafting the Statement of Work early and evolve it throughout initiation, 4) Establish stakeholder commitments, 5) Define the project scope starting with the desired end state, 6) Spend adequate time defining the scope, 7) Identify and analyze all stakeholders, 8) Define roles and responsibilities, and 9) Make the Statement of Work sign-off meaningful. Following these nine elements provides engagements a good start and maximizes chances of success.
This document provides an overview of accountability at work and creating a culture of ownership and responsibility. It discusses the benefits of accountability such as increased efficiency, productivity, and morale. It also identifies obstacles to accountability such as learned helplessness, victim mentality, unclear priorities, silo mentalities, and conflict avoidance. The document is a presentation that is divided into modules on introducing accountability, personal accountability behaviors, and mutual accountability agreements.
This document provides an overview of guidance and counselling. It defines guidance and counselling, noting they are similar but differ in some ways. Guidance is more general and comprehensive, usually precedes counselling, and stresses the theoretical aspect, while counselling focuses more on the practical relationship between counsellor and client. The document discusses misconceptions about guidance and counselling and provides examples of different types of counselling services including religious, preventative, educational, vocational, and social/ethical counselling. It also outlines ethical principles and characteristics important for counsellors.
Bovill briefing - Evidencing Suitability - June 2016bovill
It’s been on the agenda for ages, and yet suitability remains the FCA’s over-riding concern in the Wealth Management and Financial Advice sectors. We’re now five years on from the 2011 ‘Dear CEO’ letter, but it’s clear from recent supervisory activity that the regulator believes the majority of client files are still failing to evidence suitability. The recent spate of s166 skilled person notices, issued in the wake of the 2015 wealth sector suitability review, are a sure sign that patience has run out.
LPC Managing Differences and Difficult PopulationsGlenn Duncan
This is part 4 of 5 in a 30 hour lecture series on Clinical Supervision for Mental Health Professionals. This was made for the Approved Clinical Supervisor Certificate through the NBCC. This interactive workshop focuses on the major elements of managing differences between supervisors and supervisees and issues surrounding working with difficult supervisees. In this workshop, participants will learn about the influence of individual, cultural and developmental differences between supervisors and supervisees. Different aspects of individual differences are covered (e.g., differences in belief systems and theoretical orientation between supervisor and supervisee). Different aspects of cultural differences are covered as are different aspects of developmental differences (e.g., supervisee and supervisor experiential levels). Participants will discuss areas of difficulties with supervisees, including an introduction to progressive discipline policies and due process, transference and countertransference, and other generic problems with supervisees. Teaching methods include lecture, interactive exercises and group participation/discussion.
The document introduces the consulting team and key associates at Niche Consulting Team. It lists the names, qualifications, and areas of expertise for 16 individuals on the consulting team with experience in areas like safeguarding, mental health investigations, social work, finance, data science, and project management. It also lists 4 key project associates and provides brief biographies for each. Finally, it introduces the Employee Owned Trust Chairman, Nigel Gloudon, and outlines his qualifications and experience in accountancy and the NHS.
This document introduces the team at Niche including the Partner Team, Director Team, and Business Team. The Partner Team consists of 4 partners with various backgrounds in healthcare governance, service evaluation, investigations, and health economics. The Director Team includes 6 directors with experience in clinical practice reviews, investigations, governance, healthcare analytics, and healthcare finance. The Business Team supports the day-to-day operations and project work.
Footprints_ComplaintsTraining_Cover_CFO_OralJane Oliver
This document provides guidance on conducting complaint investigations and managing a complaint system. It discusses the key principles of an effective complaint management system, including visibility, accessibility, and continual improvement. It also outlines the steps to take in an investigation, such as preparing a complaint management plan, gathering evidence through interviews and documents, consulting parties to find a resolution, and ensuring decisions are upheld. Finally, it provides tips for interviewing parties as part of an investigation, emphasizing the need for impartiality, preparation, and managing expectations.
Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse As Consultantbodo-con
The document discusses the role of advanced practice nurses as consultants. It defines consultation as involving two or more healthcare workers assessing a patient together. Consultants provide advisory expertise to consultees, who are responsible for implementing any recommendations. Effective consultation involves establishing relationships, problem identification, goal-setting, action, feedback, and termination. Advanced practice nurses can become competent consultants with experience, knowledge of systems change and various consultation skills.
Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse as Consultantbodo-con
The document discusses the role of advanced practice nurses as consultants. It defines consultation as involving two or more healthcare workers assessing a patient together. Consultants provide advisory expertise to consultees, who are responsible for implementing any recommendations. Effective consultation involves establishing relationships, problem identification, goal-setting, action, feedback, and termination. Advanced practice nurses can become competent consultants with experience, knowledge of systems change and consultation skills.
This document introduces scales to measure qualitative results of development work. Scales allow assessment of outcomes like empowerment, resilience, and institutional capacity. They describe performance levels along a ladder or phases. Developing scales participatorily helps ensure stakeholder values are considered. Scales can systematically monitor qualitative changes among groups and aggregate diverse data better than counting activities or collecting testimonies alone. They provide a fuller picture of situations than single indicators.
This document introduces the concept of evidence-based practice and its importance for management decision making. It argues that decisions should be based on the best available evidence from multiple sources, rather than just personal experience or popular ideas. Evidence-based practice involves asking questions, finding relevant evidence, critically evaluating it, weighing the evidence, making decisions based on it, and assessing the outcomes. Evidence can come from scientific research, organizational data, practitioner experience, and stakeholder values. Relying solely on personal judgment leads to biases and ineffective practices. Evidence-based practice helps improve decision making and outcomes.
This document provides an overview of a case study on depression. It describes the participants in the study, which included 18 patients who met the inclusion criteria of having major depressive disorder. The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for treating depression. Patients received 8 to 16 sessions of individual CBT and completed assessments before and after treatment to measure changes in depression symptoms. The results showed that CBT was effective at reducing depressive symptoms, with the majority of patients no longer meeting the criteria for major depressive disorder after treatment. CBT was found to be a viable treatment option for depression.
Sterling White Paper - Selecting an Investment AdvisorSterling Trustees
The document provides guidance to clients on choosing the right investment advisor. It discusses assembling a selection committee and defining family goals. Key factors in defining an advisor's role include whether they have discretionary or non-discretionary authority, if they offer advice-only or product-driven solutions, and if they are a large firm or boutique. The document also discusses assessing important factors, creating an evaluation scorecard, making a decision, communication, and ongoing monitoring of the advisor.
The document discusses different approaches and models for consulting. It argues that the most effective approach is to create a helping relationship with the client where the consultant helps the client diagnose problems themselves and generate their own solutions. This empowering approach leads to more credible, trusted outcomes versus detached, "sell and tell" models where recommendations may be dismissed. The key is for consultants to jointly explore issues with clients rather than make recommendations from a distance. The goal is to build the client's capabilities for ongoing learning and improvement.
The document discusses organizational trust and its value. It conducted research that identified four key reasons why being a trustworthy organization is valuable: 1) It drives overall business performance by gaining customer loyalty and advocacy, attracting investors and partners, etc. 2) It puts an organization in a stronger position during times of crisis by having more goodwill from stakeholders. 3) It overcomes the growing skepticism that stakeholders have towards organizations. 4) It allows an organization to manage stakeholder relationships proactively by understanding how trust impacts future behavior. The research also developed a model and methodology for organizations to measure, diagnose, and take actions to build and maintain trust levels.
1. The document contains multiple choice questions about counseling ethics codes and standards regarding issues like confidentiality, dual relationships, informed consent, and competency.
2. It tests knowledge of ethical principles such as client welfare, avoiding harm, informed consent, and maintaining appropriate boundaries in professional relationships.
3. The questions cover topics like ethical decision-making, legal and regulatory requirements for counselors, and clients' rights regarding privacy, treatment, and access to care.
Requirements and Questions.docxBSBWRK520 – Manage Employee.docxheunice
Requirements and Questions.docx
BSBWRK520 – Manage Employee Relations
Font: Times New Roman
Size: 12
Spacing: 1.0
7 APA Style reference and In-text citation
Note: All the answers in these questions are in the “Guides.pdf” but you need to find your own answer. Explain, evaluate and criticise ideas. Please read it!
1. Develop and deliver training to individuals in conflict-management techniques and procedures. (114 words)
2. Identify sources of conflict or grievance according to legal requirements, and where possible, alleviate or eliminate them. (112 words)
3. Clarify issues in dispute by evaluating documentation and other information sources. (112 words)
4. If required, obtain expert or specialist advice and/or refer to precedents. (112 words)
5. Determine and document the desired outcomes, strategy and timeframes for the negotiation. (112 words)
6. In negotiation, advocate the organisation’s position to obtain agreement. (114 words)
7. Certify, the agreed outcomes with the relevant jurisdiction. (112 words)
8. Follow up on the agreements, and where groups or individuals fall to abide by the agreements, take remedial action. (112 words)
Guides.pdf
Developed by Enhance Your Future Pty Ltd 49
BSBWRK520 - Manage employee relations
Develop and deliver training to individuals in
conflict-management techniques and procedures
Conflict management is the process of breaking down the conflict in a way that identifies the
issues, proposes opportunities for negotiation and results in positive action. It is not, however,
about winning or getting everything that you want nor is about standing your ground.
Whilst we would all love to avoid conflict, Australian workplaces generally look at conflict as
being a part of a diverse workforce with differing views, cultural needs and other forms of
diversity. Instead of focusing on the elimination we look, instead, at controlling it reducing the
reasons for conflict and improving our response with the right policies, procedures, strategies,
plans., communication methods and frequency, skills and knowledge and more.
There are three types of conflict management that are used in businesses, and this generally
represents the key levels of procedural planning – the first being internal, the second being
assisted internal and the third being assisted external. The fastest for everyone is the internal
unassisted procedure where the employee initiates action with their line manager and works,
using a system of policies and procedures, to resolve the issue with the appropriate staff. The
most expensive, time-consuming, slowest and least beneficial is an external assisted resolution
where the employee takes their complaint to another body for arbitration through legal
proceedings.
Because everyone wants to avoid arbitration, it is helpful to have a number of internal conflict
resolution mechanisms and good relationships with assistive services, unions.
Requirements and Questions.docxBSBWRK520 – Manage Employee.docxaudeleypearl
Requirements and Questions.docx
BSBWRK520 – Manage Employee Relations
Font: Times New Roman
Size: 12
Spacing: 1.0
7 APA Style reference and In-text citation
Note: All the answers in these questions are in the “Guides.pdf” but you need to find your own answer. Explain, evaluate and criticise ideas. Please read it!
1. Develop and deliver training to individuals in conflict-management techniques and procedures. (114 words)
2. Identify sources of conflict or grievance according to legal requirements, and where possible, alleviate or eliminate them. (112 words)
3. Clarify issues in dispute by evaluating documentation and other information sources. (112 words)
4. If required, obtain expert or specialist advice and/or refer to precedents. (112 words)
5. Determine and document the desired outcomes, strategy and timeframes for the negotiation. (112 words)
6. In negotiation, advocate the organisation’s position to obtain agreement. (114 words)
7. Certify, the agreed outcomes with the relevant jurisdiction. (112 words)
8. Follow up on the agreements, and where groups or individuals fall to abide by the agreements, take remedial action. (112 words)
Guides.pdf
Developed by Enhance Your Future Pty Ltd 49
BSBWRK520 - Manage employee relations
Develop and deliver training to individuals in
conflict-management techniques and procedures
Conflict management is the process of breaking down the conflict in a way that identifies the
issues, proposes opportunities for negotiation and results in positive action. It is not, however,
about winning or getting everything that you want nor is about standing your ground.
Whilst we would all love to avoid conflict, Australian workplaces generally look at conflict as
being a part of a diverse workforce with differing views, cultural needs and other forms of
diversity. Instead of focusing on the elimination we look, instead, at controlling it reducing the
reasons for conflict and improving our response with the right policies, procedures, strategies,
plans., communication methods and frequency, skills and knowledge and more.
There are three types of conflict management that are used in businesses, and this generally
represents the key levels of procedural planning – the first being internal, the second being
assisted internal and the third being assisted external. The fastest for everyone is the internal
unassisted procedure where the employee initiates action with their line manager and works,
using a system of policies and procedures, to resolve the issue with the appropriate staff. The
most expensive, time-consuming, slowest and least beneficial is an external assisted resolution
where the employee takes their complaint to another body for arbitration through legal
proceedings.
Because everyone wants to avoid arbitration, it is helpful to have a number of internal conflict
resolution mechanisms and good relationships with assistive services, unions ...
The 9 Elements of Successful Health Care Consulting Whitepaper.Finaltigcap
The document outlines nine elements for successful healthcare consulting project initiation: 1) Understand the project objectives and benefits, 2) Identify major stakeholders, 3) Start drafting the Statement of Work early and evolve it throughout initiation, 4) Establish stakeholder commitments, 5) Define the project scope starting with the desired end state, 6) Spend adequate time defining the scope, 7) Identify and analyze all stakeholders, 8) Define roles and responsibilities, and 9) Make the Statement of Work sign-off meaningful. Following these nine elements provides engagements a good start and maximizes chances of success.
This document provides an overview of accountability at work and creating a culture of ownership and responsibility. It discusses the benefits of accountability such as increased efficiency, productivity, and morale. It also identifies obstacles to accountability such as learned helplessness, victim mentality, unclear priorities, silo mentalities, and conflict avoidance. The document is a presentation that is divided into modules on introducing accountability, personal accountability behaviors, and mutual accountability agreements.
This document provides an overview of guidance and counselling. It defines guidance and counselling, noting they are similar but differ in some ways. Guidance is more general and comprehensive, usually precedes counselling, and stresses the theoretical aspect, while counselling focuses more on the practical relationship between counsellor and client. The document discusses misconceptions about guidance and counselling and provides examples of different types of counselling services including religious, preventative, educational, vocational, and social/ethical counselling. It also outlines ethical principles and characteristics important for counsellors.
Bovill briefing - Evidencing Suitability - June 2016bovill
It’s been on the agenda for ages, and yet suitability remains the FCA’s over-riding concern in the Wealth Management and Financial Advice sectors. We’re now five years on from the 2011 ‘Dear CEO’ letter, but it’s clear from recent supervisory activity that the regulator believes the majority of client files are still failing to evidence suitability. The recent spate of s166 skilled person notices, issued in the wake of the 2015 wealth sector suitability review, are a sure sign that patience has run out.
LPC Managing Differences and Difficult PopulationsGlenn Duncan
This is part 4 of 5 in a 30 hour lecture series on Clinical Supervision for Mental Health Professionals. This was made for the Approved Clinical Supervisor Certificate through the NBCC. This interactive workshop focuses on the major elements of managing differences between supervisors and supervisees and issues surrounding working with difficult supervisees. In this workshop, participants will learn about the influence of individual, cultural and developmental differences between supervisors and supervisees. Different aspects of individual differences are covered (e.g., differences in belief systems and theoretical orientation between supervisor and supervisee). Different aspects of cultural differences are covered as are different aspects of developmental differences (e.g., supervisee and supervisor experiential levels). Participants will discuss areas of difficulties with supervisees, including an introduction to progressive discipline policies and due process, transference and countertransference, and other generic problems with supervisees. Teaching methods include lecture, interactive exercises and group participation/discussion.
Similar to The Building Blocks Of Independence (20)
The document introduces the consulting team and key associates at Niche Consulting Team. It lists the names, qualifications, and areas of expertise for 16 individuals on the consulting team with experience in areas like safeguarding, mental health investigations, social work, finance, data science, and project management. It also lists 4 key project associates and provides brief biographies for each. Finally, it introduces the Employee Owned Trust Chairman, Nigel Gloudon, and outlines his qualifications and experience in accountancy and the NHS.
This document introduces the team at Niche including the Partner Team, Director Team, and Business Team. The Partner Team consists of 4 partners with various backgrounds in healthcare governance, service evaluation, investigations, and health economics. The Director Team includes 6 directors with experience in clinical practice reviews, investigations, governance, healthcare analytics, and healthcare finance. The Business Team supports the day-to-day operations and project work.
Mental health awareness plays a critical role in promoting overall well-being and creating a supportive and inclusive society. It is essential to shed light on the importance of mental health and address the stigma surrounding it. In this blog post, we will explore in detail why mental health awareness matters.
Thematic review (or thematic analysis) is, strictly speaking, a scientific discipline which requires certain conditions to be in place to enable accurate (and useful) end-user insights.
The tool is based on a bespoke set of core indicators, carefully selected with significant input from senior operational and clinical mental health experts, to help concisely describe a particular situation relating to care at your Trust.
These are complicated organisations facing very complicated tasks – but articulating what they are for in a way which is simple and powerful. What should the mission of mental health services be? Not just your organisation, which may be very generalist or very specialist – but mental health services’ overall role and purpose in society. What should we be working together to achieve?
The first great wave of gains in public health arguably owed as much to plumbers as to any other profession. From the mid-19th century onwards, improvements in sanitation and access to clean water had a huge impact in reducing infectious diseases and improving both life expectancy and quality of life.
The concept of a Benefit Corporation – often simply referred to as a “BCorp” - goes beyond the traditional notion of enterprises being driven simply by profit. Whilst profits still matter, B Corps have a threefold mission – to make a positive impact for their workforce, for wider society and for the environment. This model also fits perfectly when business is done between the public and private sectors, as it allows social value to be built into procurement processes. In this summary, we will explore the significance of BCorp in the realm of purpose-driven businesses.
The development of closed cultures in healthcare is not a new phenomenon. Closed cultures can occur in any industry, profession, or team because closed cultures are the product of several conditions that have been established.
Independence is crucial to a successful review, but how well is the idea of “independence” actually understood? Independence is about many things - much more than money and relationships. It is vital to ensure that there are systems, processes, and controls, all of which act to protect the judgements made; just as important are honesty, integrity, and accountability in professional practice.
Whistleblowing remains an important mechanism in healthcare, but it is deeply problematic for whistleblowers themselves (many of whom feel they have no other option but to take this route) for organisations, and for the NHS generally. During our many years of experience in reviews and investigations, Niche has found that cases of whistleblowing can almost always be attributed to a failure of governance. However, there are:
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2024 HIPAA Compliance Training Guide to the Compliance OfficersConference Panel
Join us for a comprehensive 90-minute lesson designed specifically for Compliance Officers and Practice/Business Managers. This 2024 HIPAA Training session will guide you through the critical steps needed to ensure your practice is fully prepared for upcoming audits. Key updates and significant changes under the Omnibus Rule will be covered, along with the latest applicable updates for 2024.
Key Areas Covered:
Texting and Email Communication: Understand the compliance requirements for electronic communication.
Encryption Standards: Learn what is necessary and what is overhyped.
Medical Messaging and Voice Data: Ensure secure handling of sensitive information.
IT Risk Factors: Identify and mitigate risks related to your IT infrastructure.
Why Attend:
Expert Instructor: Brian Tuttle, with over 20 years in Health IT and Compliance Consulting, brings invaluable experience and knowledge, including insights from over 1000 risk assessments and direct dealings with Office of Civil Rights HIPAA auditors.
Actionable Insights: Receive practical advice on preparing for audits and avoiding common mistakes.
Clarity on Compliance: Clear up misconceptions and understand the reality of HIPAA regulations.
Ensure your compliance strategy is up-to-date and effective. Enroll now and be prepared for the 2024 HIPAA audits.
Enroll Now to secure your spot in this crucial training session and ensure your HIPAA compliance is robust and audit-ready.
https://conferencepanel.com/conference/hipaa-training-for-the-compliance-officer-2024-updates
PET CT beginners Guide covers some of the underrepresented topics in PET CTMiadAlsulami
This lecture briefly covers some of the underrepresented topics in Molecular imaging with cases , such as:
- Primary pleural tumors and pleural metastases.
- Distinguishing between MPM and Talc Pleurodesis.
- Urological tumors.
- The role of FDG PET in NET.
Gemma Wean- Nutritional solution for Artemiasmuskaan0008
GEMMA Wean is a high end larval co-feeding and weaning diet aimed at Artemia optimisation and is fortified with a high level of proteins and phospholipids. GEMMA Wean provides the early weaned juveniles with dedicated fish nutrition and is an ideal follow on from GEMMA Micro or Artemia.
GEMMA Wean has an optimised nutritional balance and physical quality so that it flows more freely and spreads readily on the water surface. The balance of phospholipid classes to- gether with the production technology based on a low temperature extrusion process improve the physical aspect of the pellets while still retaining the high phospholipid content.
GEMMA Wean is available in 0.1mm, 0.2mm and 0.3mm. There is also a 0.5mm micro-pellet, GEMMA Wean Diamond, which covers the early nursery stage from post-weaning to pre-growing.
Michigan HealthTech Market Map 2024. Includes 7 categories: Policy Makers, Academic Innovation Centers, Digital Health Providers, Healthcare Providers, Payers / Insurance, Device Companies, Life Science Companies, Innovation Accelerators. Developed by the Michigan-Israel Business Accelerator
Healthy Eating Habits:
Understanding Nutrition Labels: Teaches how to read and interpret food labels, focusing on serving sizes, calorie intake, and nutrients to limit or include.
Tips for Healthy Eating: Offers practical advice such as incorporating a variety of foods, practicing moderation, staying hydrated, and eating mindfully.
Benefits of Regular Exercise:
Physical Benefits: Discusses how exercise aids in weight management, muscle and bone health, cardiovascular health, and flexibility.
Mental Benefits: Explains the psychological advantages, including stress reduction, improved mood, and better sleep.
Tips for Staying Active:
Encourages consistency, variety in exercises, setting realistic goals, and finding enjoyable activities to maintain motivation.
Maintaining a Balanced Lifestyle:
Integrating Nutrition and Exercise: Suggests meal planning and incorporating physical activity into daily routines.
Monitoring Progress: Recommends tracking food intake and exercise, regular health check-ups, and provides tips for achieving balance, such as getting sufficient sleep, managing stress, and staying socially active.
International Cancer Survivors Day is celebrated during June, placing the spotlight not only on cancer survivors, but also their caregivers.
CANSA has compiled a list of tips and guidelines of support:
https://cansa.org.za/who-cares-for-cancer-patients-caregivers/
TEST BANK For Accounting Information Systems, 3rd Edition by Vernon Richardso...rightmanforbloodline
TEST BANK For Accounting Information Systems, 3rd Edition by Vernon Richardson, Verified Chapters 1 - 18, Complete Newest Version
TEST BANK For Accounting Information Systems, 3rd Edition by Vernon Richardson, Verified Chapters 1 - 18, Complete Newest Version
TEST BANK For Accounting Information Systems, 3rd Edition by Vernon Richardson, Verified Chapters 1 - 18, Complete Newest Version
Hypertension and it's role of physiotherapy in it.Vishal kr Thakur
This particular slides consist of- what is hypertension,what are it's causes and it's effect on body, risk factors, symptoms,complications, diagnosis and role of physiotherapy in it.
This slide is very helpful for physiotherapy students and also for other medical and healthcare students.
Here is summary of hypertension -
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a serious medical condition that occurs when blood pressure in the body's arteries is consistently too high. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of blood vessels as the heart pumps it. Hypertension can increase the risk of heart disease, brain disease, kidney disease, and premature death.
We are one of the top Massage Spa Ajman Our highly skilled, experienced, and certified massage therapists from different corners of the world are committed to serving you with a soothing and relaxing experience. Luxuriate yourself at our spas in Sharjah and Ajman, which are indeed enriched with an ambiance of relaxation and tranquility. We could confidently claim that we are one of the most affordable Spa Ajman and Sharjah as well, where you can book the massage session of your choice for just 99 AED at any time as we are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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Joker Wigs has been a one-stop-shop for hair products for over 26 years. We provide high-quality hair wigs, hair extensions, hair toppers, hair patch, and more for both men and women.
The facial nerve, also known as cranial nerve VII, is one of the 12 cranial nerves originating from the brain. It's a mixed nerve, meaning it contains both sensory and motor fibres, and it plays a crucial role in controlling various facial muscles, as well as conveying sensory information from the taste buds on the anterior two-thirds of the tongue.
DECODING THE RISKS - ALCOHOL, TOBACCO & DRUGS.pdfDr Rachana Gujar
Introduction: Substance use education is crucial due to its prevalence and societal impact.
Alcohol Use: Immediate and long-term risks include impaired judgment, health issues, and social consequences.
Tobacco Use: Immediate effects include increased heart rate, while long-term risks encompass cancer and heart disease.
Drug Use: Risks vary depending on the drug type, including health and psychological implications.
Prevention Strategies: Education, healthy coping mechanisms, community support, and policies are vital in preventing substance use.
Harm Reduction Strategies: Safe use practices, medication-assisted treatment, and naloxone availability aim to reduce harm.
Seeking Help for Addiction: Recognizing signs, available treatments, support systems, and resources are essential for recovery.
Personal Stories: Real stories of recovery emphasize hope and resilience.
Interactive Q&A: Engage the audience and encourage discussion.
Conclusion: Recap key points and emphasize the importance of awareness, prevention, and seeking help.
Resources: Provide contact information and links for further support.
1. The Building Blocks Of Independence
Independence is crucial to a successful review, but how well is the idea of “independence”
actually understood? Independence is about many things - much more than money and
relationships. It is vital to ensure that there are systems, processes, and controls, all of which
act to protect the judgements made; just as important are honesty, integrity, and accountability
in professional practice.
Here we explain what we mean by independence, why it matters, and how to improve it – both
as projects are delivered, and more widely.
What do we mean by independence?
“Independence” is not a yes/no consideration; it is simplistic and inaccurate ever to describe
someone or their work as either “completely” independent, or as “not at all” independent.
Independence occurs along a continuum and can be both actual and perceived.
Actual independence is made up of a multitude of ‘checks and balances’ which must be applied
continuously throughout the process of independent review; this is all part of good professional
practice. Perceived independence, whilst important, is often used to support an individual’s
assessment of the review outcome: ‘It was an independent view if it agreed with my point of
view, it was not independent if it didn’t’.
2. Why does independence matter?
Independence promotes confidence. In matters where judgements are being made, particularly
when using public money for review work, it is entirely appropriate to query – and to seek - the
independence of those undertaking that work. Particularly, to want confirmation that there is
probity and that independent reviewers can exercise judgment without fear or favour. That
means two things:
● Independence of activity - that they are free from external control or influence
● Independence of mind – there are good controls to minimise internal bias or subjectivity
What are the limits of independence?
An independent review requires the provision of a highly skilled service, and that service should
be remunerated, whether a public, charitable, or private sector body is undertaking the work.
Direct payment from the ‘receiver’ to the ‘reviewer’ for an ‘independent’ opinion, is of course,
never easy to fully reconcile. The stamp of independence is valuable and there are no doubt
cases where a favourable veneer has been either purchased or offered as an inducement.
And yet we know from our day-to-day lives – if we seek professional advice on our finances,
health, or legal matters, we usually pay for an independent, professional opinion. Despite our
paying for that opinion, we still have a right to expect the advice to be based on the
professional’s best judgment, not simply on what we want to hear. This is why demonstrating
and upholding independence by using strict professional and accountable practices, is of
paramount importance.
When ‘lack of independence’ is suggested to discredit a review, this may be because of the
funding flow or conflicts of interest. Looking at both of those:
Direct payment funding flow for an independent view
Any funding could be seen as an inducement for an opinion. but it doesn’t follow that zero
funding is a more secure alternative. A charity requires revenues to function, particularly if
delivering a commissioned service. A charity or company working on a pro bono basis is still
engaged in a transaction. Indeed, the point of pro bono work may be to incentivise the client to
buy more.
A public sector body reviewing itself might resolve the problematic issue of funding but might
introduce another range of inducements such as contract awards, promotions, and, where the
NHS is concerned, a considerable amount of organisational politics. Fully impartial insight is
difficult if someone is commenting on their performance or that of their colleagues.
Individual conflicts
Individual conflicts must also be managed. This is not only about where someone has worked in
the past but also about their close personal and professional relationships and any opinions
they may have stated in the past. The Grenfell Tower Enquiry ended work with both a key expert
panel member and the nominated accountancy firm having to stand down, because of conflicts
arising from other business and audit relationships. In 2014 Lady Butler-Schloss was also
3. forced to stand down from her role on the Child Abuse Enquiry because of the legacy of the
actions of her brother in which a conflict was perceived. Such conflicts, if identified at a late
stage, can have the power to completely undermine the integrity of a review.
However, it is still important that an independent review has access to subject matter experts
who have a working knowledge of practice. It is key, therefore, to apply strict controls when
making independent review panel appointments. In some cases, the expert opinion required can
be so super-specialist (only 4 experts in the country, for example) that it is impossible to avoid
professional networks. It is in a few cases like this that conflicts must be managed, rather than
avoided.
How to improve independence – as projects are delivered
When people seek independence, what they want is a fair and balanced professional
judgement, based on reliable evidence, and rational analysis. This requires full attention to all of
the following:
· Minimising bias and subjectivity: The following are all threats to independence:
● hindsight bias – the tendency to overestimate one’s ability to have
foreseen an outcome. “I knew it all along.”
● projection – displacing one’s feelings onto someone else
● confirmation bias – the tendency to favour information that confirms
existing beliefs or values
● selection bias – engaging with people who are not representative of the
overall group of interest
● self-serving bias – attributing our successes to our efforts, and our
failures to the actions of others, or external events
Recognising and challenging bias amongst reviewers is crucial and this is done through training,
awareness and challenge. It is just as important for independent reviewers to be able to
recognise bias in others, for example in discrimination, or in unconscious bias which has
impacted patient safety.
● Relationships and conflicts: Conflicts can arise in many forms. For example, if any of
the independent reviewers (or close family members) have worked in close association
with the client or any close proxy organisations as a person of significant influence, the
conflict is probably irreconcilable. Similarly, if a person has expressed a set of views it
might compromise independence. In these cases, different individuals should ideally be
allocated to the review.
● Conflict management: NHS England has issued helpful guidance on managing
Conflicts of Interest[1]. Central to the guidance is the principle of total transparency; not
declaring conflicts (actual or perceived) can be hugely damaging. Ideally, conflicts should
be avoided but if, as above, there is no choice but to use someone on an independent
review panel (such as a super-specialist) who might have an actual, potential, or
perceived conflict, then managing that conflict appropriately is essential, using the
guidance referred to here.
● Checks and balances: Providing judgements based upon solid evidence is the biggest
safeguard of independence. Evidence must be triangulated, for example, by combining
interview feedback, survey data, documentation and audit information to provide a
4. rounded view. Evidence must be reliable; if it is not, it must be stated as such, or
additional work must be done to confirm or discount the reliability of evidence.
● Trust and truth: It is the job of an independent review to take swathes of information
(sometimes running to millions of lines) and to evaluate, cross-reference and consolidate
all of this into an accessible and reasoned view. Transparency does not mean making
interview transcripts, private letters or privileged or supplementary advice freely available
to anyone; if this were the case, then no one would want to talk to an independent
reviewer openly, as there would be no trust.
● Validation and accountability: No reports should ever be finalised without proper
factual accuracy checking having taken place. This includes offering a right of reply on
all reports, and Maxwellisation[2] on public reports. This is a key moment when people
who are receiving a report can identify any issues they see with the basis for the
findings. Any changes to the report, along with the rationale for change, should be fully
recorded and made available to those who require assurances about changes made.
● The end product: Being particularly critical in a report should not be the only defining
factor of independence – but, if there has been a balanced view applied to the review
findings, this should be a reasonable indication that independence has been applied. In
short, the report should speak for itself.
How to improve independence – overall approaches
In addition to proper professional practice in delivery there are overall actions that support
independence:
● The integrity of advice: Independent reviews can broadly fall into two main categories:
audit (assessment) and advice (development). If an independent reviewer (firm or
individual) has provided audit or advice services within the last 3-6 years, then there
should be significant hesitancy applied in allowing the firm to switch those positions. In
FCA-regulated firms, this is why ‘Chinese Walls’ are implemented and taken seriously,
as there is a real risk of failed independence. Often called ‘marking own homework’ this
is when a firm provides advice which it then evaluates or judges; either one or the other
is usually acceptable on a consecutive basis.
● Commissioning transparency: Frameworks are a transparent route to procurement
for the public sector, and they are aimed at ensuring that existing relationships cannot
influence key appointments. This means that extensive tests must be met by providers
before they can bid for work, and awards should be based upon both a subjective (by
the firm) and an objective (by the contract awarding body) assessment of independence.
All major independent reviews, particularly developmental well-led reviews, external
audits and independent investigations should be centrally commissioned by an impartial
body to avoid conflicted relationships, inducements and incentives. ‘Cosy’ relationships
should be both avoided and prohibited.
● Funding: Funding arrangements should be carefully considered, and it is far better when
the party under investigation is not also the bill-payer. When independent reviews are
funded directly by the client (for example by a Trust) there also tends to be a greater
involvement of lawyers who are seeking to protect the direct interest of their clients. This
is a problem that is increasingly an issue in independent reviews and can lead to months
of dispute as the independent reviewer battles to allow the facts to surface without
impediment.
5. In considering how best to structure the commissioning of reviews, dismissing all management
consultants as being ‘the problem’ is unhelpful. Previous alternatives such as the Audit
Commission were themselves expensive[3] to the public purse and were also not subject to
competitive pressure (which is both a cost and a quality improvement incentive). The notion that
there should be a single state provider of reviews of state activities is very hard to justify in a
liberal democracy, today that might include the CQC or HSIB. Skilled management consultants,
many of whom have direct experience working within similar services to those being reviewed,
provide expertise as well as choice in the market and this competitiveness, particularly when
using frameworks, should drive costs down. Independent and skilled firms, that can work at
scale, should also reduce the need for expensive, lengthy, public inquiries.
Not all firms providing advice should be FCA or Law Society regulated, but there is the benefit to
having a professional services ‘umbrella’. Smaller and boutique advisory firms would be helped
by demonstrating that they meet certain standards (for non-framework commissions); as it
stands, they tend to seek out a range of separate certifications that clients aren’t always familiar
with (apart from perhaps ISO certifications of quality or information governance). Some form of
accreditation of investigation and review practice would be a good step.
[1]
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/guidance-managing-conflicts-of-interes
t-nhs.pdf
[2] the legal practice in English and Scots law that allows anyone who is criticised in an official
report to respond before publication, based on details of the criticism received in advance.
[3] In 2015 the budget for the Audit Commission was £213 million.