Everyone matters; everyone contributes; everyone grows: a pilot project cultivating psychological safety to promote growth-oriented service culture after the Oakden Report.

Abstract

The development of positive workplace culture is important for health services, with implications for patient experience, staff wellbeing and service outcomes. The Oakden Report identified dysfunctional culture in the South Australian state-wide older persons' mental health service and established an agenda for change through a codesigned culture framework. An innovative culture change project was undertaken at Northgate House, a specialist service commissioned following the Oakden Report. The project built on the culture framework, with emphasis on developing psychological safety and employed principles from the deliberately developmental organisation model. The project resulted in positive outcomes for patients and staff and valuable organisational learning. Insights from the project may inform culture change journeys in a range of healthcare settings.