Make Your Building Project A Success

Amaroo Aged Care is a 47 bed high care facility in the Hunter Region of New South Wales. It is one of four facilities operating by the Empowered Living Group. In December 2006 Empowered Living commenced a major refurbishment program of Amaroo Aged Care that involved:

• 2 new resident accommodation wings and a major under ground excavation to create new resident accommodation and living areas. All together adding 39 extra service places for the facility.
• Additional car parking facilities.
• A new laundry.
• A new outdoor area for resident activities and leisure.

People who have worked in the aged care industry for numerous years have probably experience the highs, the lows, the joys and the frustrations of a building improvement program. During the course of a building project, staff, residents, relatives and contractors are faced with many challenges in going about their individual tasks while attempting to maintain harmony with others. Facility Manager, Judy Kerr explains that positive results and possibly your sanity may well depend on establishing your ground rules from the start.

The management and staff of the facility had previously experienced refurbishment programs where the mix of on site works, construction activity, construction worker requirements, staff's needs and resident sensitivity had produced long lasting and toxic impacts on all of those involved. When meeting the contractors for the first time during the planning process, the management team came armed with a clear set of ground rules for the process. To the facilities surprise the contractor also had a clear plan to deal with potential issues. It was refreshing to note that the contractor had also learned from previous building experience in the aged care industry.

Judy Kerr says the initial meeting was made easier by the fact that the building company had established some essential criteria to guide their site manager (the person responsible for liaison with the facility management and staff). Two points that impressed the facility were a) the site managers ability to communicate, and b) the fact that the site manager lived locally and was accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The pre-agreed site rules put forward by the building company were:

• All exits must remain secure at all times. Construction staff will not help any staff and or residents exit the building.
• Building staff will not bring food or drinks into the building area occupied by residents.
• No services to be disrupted without the clear and expressed permission of the facilities site foreman / manager. Sufficient notice to be given to enable alternate plans to be put in place.
• Building staff will not enter closed doors. Arrangements to be made with reception for work in closed areas.
• Building staff will make themselves aware of facility emergency procedures and will assemble at the appropriate designated area in the event of emergency. Building staff will follow the instructions on facility staff during an emergency.
• Reception and facility management to be informed verbally and in writing if the fire alarm system is or could be compromised in any way (e.g. isolation of system).
• Building staff will consider at all times and in all circumstances if work being undertaken might compromise the effectiveness of smoke detectors and / or sprinkler systems.
• For any work being undertaken in occupied areas the facility site foreman / manager will be informed of the work to be undertaken and the expected time frame. Any extensions to the expected time frame will be communicated to the site foreman / manager prior to the initial expected completion time.
• At no time will the building workers leave tools and / or materials unattended or accessible to residents, carers or visitors.
• Rubbish and / or mess generated by building staff will be removed and cleaned either immediately or at the end of each work shift.
• NO SWEARING ON SITE!

Following the initial site meetings the following rules / conditions were brought forward by facility staff and were applied.

• The toilet and personal clean up areas for construction workers were specified by the facility. This was important for staff relationships and infection control procedures.
• The construction workers were invited to share the staff tea room for breaks and this was noted to assist with day to day communications.
• Strict and specific compliance was required in respect of the procedure for entering a resident's room. There was to be no negotiation in this area - if a construction worker wanted to enter a resident's room they must seek the permission of the staff member in charge to do so - NO EXCEPTIONS.
• It would be the construction worker's responsibility to ensure that staff were aware of their presence in any particular area, the reason for their presence and also when they leave, even for breaks.
• All building workers to sign in the visitor's book each day and to sign out.

Communication

Judy Kerr explained that success of the building program boiled down to communication. There were few if any breaches of the agreed rules and construction company site manager, Anthony Harrigan maintained daily contact with Judy, even if it was to just report that things were going to plan.

On the occasions that there were issues or problems the building manager would attend the site personally until the issue was fixed or resolved.

The building works program was naturally made a standing agenda item on the resident / relatives monthly meetings. When asked, the construction company site manager would attend the meeting to provide updates or answer questions.

Facility management established a newsletter to describe the building works progress and to highlight when difficulties might arise, for example when reductions in visitor car parking might be expected.

Pay Attention to Incident Data

Particular vigilance was paid to collection of all incident and accident data. All incidents were investigated to analyse any implications for the building program. Any accidents or incidents that could be tracked back to the building program were actioned and discussed immediately with the building company site manager.

Lessons were learned from initial incidents and this in turn led to the minimisation of possible repeat incidents. In this respect the collection of the QPS incident data such as falls, skin tears and staff accidents provided helpful analysis. Facility manager Judy Kerr stressed that speed of action and prompt feedback was critical both to good outcomes and relationship management with the construction team.

Other areas targeted for increased emphasis were the QPS OHS Numerical Profile and Fire and Emergency Environmental Audits. Continual checking and assessment helped to keep staff informed and mindful of their responsibilities and to highlight when things such as blocked fire exits slipped under the radar.

Amaroo's top tips for building harmony are:

• If possible, select builders that can demonstrate prior experience in aged care.
• Include the communication skills of the site foreman in the selection process and consider pre-tender interviews of site foreman as part of the tender acceptance process. Meet the person, establish the rules and ensure the continuance of the interviewed person for the duration of the project. Understand the value of having the building company site manager living locally during the lifetime of the project. Even if this costs a bit extra.
• Do not underestimate the power of informal communication. Meet informally and often with the site building manager and team. Where possible allow for integration of staff during breaks.

Acknowledge the work or attitude of the construction workers when the right thing is done. For example, during Amaroo's renovation a deceased person had to be removed past the building workers. The workers stopped work and donned their hats as a mark of respect - it was not required but it said a lot. Feedback was appreciated.