Leadership's Impact on Home Care Staff & Service Outcomes

This report examines the pivotal role of leadership in enhancing the efficiency of home care staff and, consequently, improving service outcomes for users. It begins by establishing the importance of leadership in healthcare, particularly in home care settings, emphasizing its impact on quality assurance, staff motivation, and skills development. The report highlights recent trends, such as the increased focus on leadership following the COVID-19 pandemic, and acknowledges the influence of the political environment on healthcare system changes. Key objectives include analyzing the concept of leadership, assessing its role in boosting home care staff efficiency, and implementing suitable leadership strategies to improve service delivery. The literature review underscores the necessity of effective leadership in addressing challenges within home care, such as maintaining staff skills and ensuring optimal care levels. Various leadership theories, including the Great Man, Behavioral, Trait, Transactional, Transformational, and Contingency theories, are explored to provide a comprehensive understanding of leadership approaches. The report also details the methodology used to examine the impact of leadership on staff efficiency and service outcomes, including data collection and analysis methods.

IMPROVING HOME CARE EMPLOYEE’S EFFICIENCY FOR BETTER SERVICE
OUTCOMES

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................2
AIMS AND OBJECTIVE.....................................................................................................................4
LITERATURE REVIEW.....................................................................................................................4
METHODOLOGY OF THE PROJECT:............................................................................................9
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS FOR CHANGE........................................................................13
CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................................21
REFERENCES:.................................................................................................................................23

INTRODUCTION
Leadership can influence the quality of care in healthcare as effective
leadership leads towards effective and improved outcomes. It helps the staff in
coping with change make decisions based on rationality (Rudolph, Murphy and
Zacher, 2020). Leadership initiatives are associated with improved patient care when
they are applied in healthcare setting. Leadership is needed as it can allow the
healthcare staff to provide improved services which result in enhanced outcomes of
users of service (Doshi, 2018).
Context: The role of leadership in health care setting, more specifically to the
homecare staff as leadership can allow quality assurance and improve performance
through motivation, training and development of required skills as well as ensure well
performing staff. Leadership provides the staff, opportunities to empower and gain
control over their work (Myhre and et.al., 2020). All this can only be ensured if a
strong leadership is present in healthcare settings.
Trends in healthcare settings: Leadership is a recent trend after the COVID-19.
The pandemic has taught the importance of leadership in healthcare as leadership is
the thing which ensure the appropriate operating of healthcare systems (Terkamo‐
Moisio and et.al., 2021).
Political environment: Healthcare sector is majorly controlled by government and
politics. So, the implementation of a particular change in a health system is
complicated by the power of health systems and informal politics such as competing
interests between various powerful groups. At the time of implementation of change
the organization leaders need to be aware of these kinds of leadership which
includes the development and utilization of skills and astuteness forms of politics
(Moule and et.al., 2017).
Justification: The role of leadership is critical in healthcare settings, especially in
home care as an effective leadership is the key to communicate with people about
what is needed to attain the goals. Leaders can foster the engagement in healthcare
transformation in the times of needs such as at the time of COVID-19 pandemic.
Leaders are the one who manage the performance of home care staff and evaluate
their performances (Jones and et.al., 2021). Home care staff are the professionals in
healthcare which provide at home care to patients such as helping them to perform

daily/routine tasks like dressing. If the leaders fail to engage the home care staff in
transformation and effectiveness, then the results could be disastrous. For example:
if the staff is not able to help the patient, the outcomes may get effected due to this .
Through effective leadership, leaders can ensure trust as well as no growth of digital
divides. Heath facilities need effective leadership skills to ensure that their staff i.e.,
healthcare and home care perform their duties and services as per the identified
standards. It also ensures that they are motivate to work effectively as well (Gurr
Drysdale and Goode, 2022).
AIMS AND OBJECTIVE
Aim: To examine the role of leadership in increasing working efficiency of home care
staff for improving outcomes of service users. A project on a home care services
organization
Objective:
 To examine the concept of leadership.
 To analyse the role of leadership in enhancing working efficiency of home
care staff.
 To implement suitable leadership for improving the working efficiency of home
care staff
Project questions:
 What is the leadership style?
 What is the role of leadership in enhancing the working efficiency of home
care staff?
 How does improved efficiency of home care staff improves the outcomes of
service users?
 How change in leadership styles can be managed?
LITERATURE REVIEW
According to the views of Churruca and et.al., (2021), effective leadership is
essential in the home care in order to resolve the challenges like maintenance of
skills of staff as well as ensuring that users of service gain maximum levels of care.

Leadership is also essential in order to deal with the continual changes in healthcare
settings. In the recent COVID-19 pandemic the debates about health and healthcare
setting have raised the need and importance of leadership in health. There have
been many debates which states that the countries and governments failed to
manage the situation due to lack of effective leadership in their healthcare systems.
Myhre and et.al., (2020), Leadership in healthcare of home care have gained
popularity recently. It has been recognised that in order to implement change for
enhancing quality of health services, leadership is crucial. However, even when the
subject has gained passive attention, there are still very little solutions proposed to
enhance the leadership in healthcare sector.
Leadership
As per the views of Edbrooke‐Childs and et.al., (2019), leadership is the
ability of a person to influence or encourage an individual or a group of individuals
towards desired outcomes. It is the process of motivating a group of people to attain
the desired goal. It directs people towards actions. It the essence of able to and
prepare other to inspire and make them to take certain actions. A strong leadership
is the key to bring a change as well it motivates others to accept and adapt that
change. Leadership is based on many factors such as original ideas and borrowed
ideas which are communicated effectively to others in such a way that it motivates
them to act as the leader want them to.
Home care
According to Denier, Dhaene and Gastmans, (2019), home care is the service
which allows the person with needs or a user of service to get care service while
staying at home. In simple words, these are the services which allows a person to
live safely and healthy in their homes. These services provide assistance and
support to people who need assistance to live independently. Homecare helps users
of service in enhancing their quality of life and provide them a safe and secure
environment where they can liv independently. This home care professional also
eases the management of ongoing medical conditions of service users and help
them in avoiding unnecessary hospitalization.
In accordance with Sukera and et.al., (2020), homecare can aid users of
service in the recovery of a person after some illness, hospital stay or injury while

providing them care in comfortable home environment. There are various activities
included in home care such as therapy and rehabilitative services, companionship,
assistance in management of daily tasks as well help them in basic routine activities
such as bathing, dressing and eating etc. Home care can be of many types which
differs as per the need of a service user. However, the goal of all the types of home
care is common which is to enable independent, happier and easy living to people
who need services.
Leadership in home care
Similarly, Tahir and et.al., (2020), says that, Leadership in home care is
necessary. The care givers are bearing the burden of care as some service users
requires urgent attention. In these cases, the home care services are quite useful.
Leadership is necessary as it allows the people to take charge of what they are
doing as well as empower them to take appropriate actions and decisions. When a
professional has someone to report to, their performances enhance automatically.
Leadership in home care is also necessary as it allows a check on the obligations
fulfilled by the home care staff to the users to service.
However, Yarow, Jirma and Siringi (2019), contrasted that, even though now
the leadership has been considered as key factor in healthcare. The importance of
leadership and distinct leadership styles still remains in a black box. It is not much
recognised as one of the key factors to enhance the outcomes. The importance of
leadership in home care or in healthcare is not widely recognised. However, during
the global pandemic of COVID-19 the importance was recognised. As the
governments of the countries failed to deliver effective outcomes because there was
no leadership within healthcare systems.
Rosenand et.al., (2018), Leaders decide how a home care professional will
aid the service and care as well as how they carry out their services. Leadership
influences the service quality in home care settings. Leaders describe how a specific
service will be provide and how a particular situation can be dealt with. Leadership
also provides different solutions to home care professionals regarding certain needs.
Leadership keeps the professionals motivated to provide their best service to users
of service. Gilson and Agyepong (2018), also said that, through effective leadership

a critical situation can also be handled as leadership provide means to handle
systems and services in the most appropriate way.
Leadership in home care improving outcomes of service users
Similarly, Smith and et.al., (2018), states that, Leadership in home care is focused
towards enhancing the outcomes of service users. Through an effective leaderships
health outcome can be improved. Leadership ensures the attainment of effective
change adoption in dynamic environment. Through leadership new standards and
methods of proving home care can be adopted. Leadership helps in dealing with
resistance of home care professionals in adoption of change and new methodologies
as well. Effective leadership can make the home care professionals to become more
flexible, power sharing as well as use their personal values for delivering the high-
quality services and performance towards users of service.
But Bowen and et.al., (2019), says that, leadership is successful in enhancing
outcome of service users only when it is accepted by all the staff, nurses and other
professional regarding their respective roles. For leadership to enhance outcomes of
service users, leaders must be able to provide and create an environment in which
all the staff is consistent, cooperative and supportive of each other’s boundaries in
the same healthcare setting. Leaders must be able to motivate home care staff to
deliver and improve the quality, patient care and support services continuously.
Leadership without the cooperation of staff is unsuccessful.
According to Ahmed and Ali (2018), leadership is essential to enhance the
outcomes as the leaders are the person to who others see as their role model. In
healthcare, especially in home care, staff might feel demotivated or less enthusiastic
due to the stressful environment. Here, a leader is a person who can motivate them
to perform better and give their best services. Leader is the open to whom staff is
accountable and to whom homecare staff can come regarding any issue. In those
times, appropriate leadership is necessary to motivate them and direct them towards
the right direction to gain improved outcomes.
Leadership theories

The use of theories in current Project on home care is essential to ensure that the
constructs and elements which Project reviews are relevant as well as appropriate.
Some of the theories of leadership can be explained as follows:
 Great man leadership theory: This leadership theory states that leaders are
not made, they are born. It states that leaders inherit the qualities of
leadership and personal attitudes such as intelligence, ability to lead, wisdom
and charisma by genetically (Lavallée and et.al., 2018).
 Behavioural theory: This theory of leadership states that leaders can be
recognised from their behavioural attributes (Mathole and et.al., 2018). It
focuses more on which behaviour of a person makes them different from
others and an effective leader.
 Trait theory: This theory of leadership is similar to great man theory. It states
that some people have traits which makes them unique from others and which
cannot be learnt by others.
 Transactional leadership: This theory of leadership states that a leader has
the ability to identify what is needed to be done in order to attain goals. It can
include the identifications f tasks, clarifying roles and jobs as well as
rewarding to attain better outcomes (Trakulsunti and Antony, 2018).
 Transformational leadership: This theory of leadership states that people
consider a person who have the ability to inspire others through their own
enthusiasm, passion and vision as well. Transformational leaders are a role
model to their followers.
 Contingency theory: This theory of leadership states the leaders are the
people who can develop unique ways to work with others according to a
particular situation as well as the needs of people (Malmedal and Anyan,
2020).
Robbins and Davidhizar (2020) elucidates that, there are various other
theories of leadership. However, the transformational theory of leadership is
considered as the most significant and influential leadership theory in health care
settings. It is considered that, out of all the leadership theories in healthcare the
transformational leadership provides the most support as well as is identified as

the theory having various links with staff satisfaction and staff efficiency (Smith
and et.al., 2018). In healthcare and home care some valuable outcomes from
transformational leadership have been evident. These outcomes involve patient
fulfilment, staff fulfilment and staff motivation.
What is required and why?
For effective and improved outcomes leadership have been considered as a
key. There is very less importance given to leadership in health care settings. A
change in leadership or leadership styles is required to attain better outcomes in
healthcare setting (Gifford and et.al., 2019). The home care setting needs more
emphasis on the leadership and the importance of leadership so that the home care
staff is able to improve the outcomes of service users.
METHODOLOGY OF THE PROJECT:
Project methodology is the process as well as a technique for collection of
information and knowledge on a particular subject or topic of Project area (Lassonde
and Galman, 2019). Project methodology uses various methods that are considered
useful and valuable. For the current Project on examining the role of leadership in
increasing working efficiency of home care staff for improving outcomes of service
users in an organization are described as follows (Goolmeer, Skroblin and Wintle,
2022). With reference to the current project the methodology will be applied in terms
of outlining the scope which will guide the research. Later the data will be collected
from the responded that will assist in drawing the conclusion that whether the
leadership and change management can influence the services of healthcare
workers and professionals or not.
Plan: The present project has been planned to determine the role leadership plays in
improving the efficiency of home care staff of organization. The project will lead to
delivery of better care and support by the home care staff of the organization. Better
experiences of the service users, improved satisfaction and enhanced patient
outcomes will be other deliverables of the project. The project will require working on
a large-scale level which will include management of organization and all its staff
who provides home care services to the service users (Gifford and et.al., 2019). It
will include the parameters of analysing the changes that will be brought about in the

policies, procedures and working practices of the organization as a result of
application of leadership theory.
With reference to the concerned project the project plan would involve 5 major
steps that may include:
Initiation:
Firstly, the aims and objective along with topic of the project will be
determined. In this stage the basic details in terms of looking towards the
background information will be made.
Planning:
This will be followed with the planning stage under which the required steps of
the plan will be decided and made. This will include the determination of steps like
the deciding of mode of data collection and analysis. Here all the steps of the plan
would be decided.
Execution:
Later part is called execution under which the planned activities will be
implemented in terms of collecting the relevant data along with its analysis.
Implementation:
Next step is implementation in which the outcome of the plan will be made
practically implied. This is the step under which the actual outcome and results that
are being obtained from the research will be made practically implied.
Controlling and closure:
The last step is the controlling and closure under which the outcome will be
evaluated and controlled with the help of evaluation tool. Adequate steps will be
taken so that the loopholes can be overcome and lastly the closure will be made.
Under closure the entire project will be closed because here the objective and the
aim of the project has been achieved.
Data collection: Data collection refers to the technique of gathering of information
and knowledge from various resources in order to carry out particular Project.
Primary and secondary are most important methods of data collection and both of

the data will be sued in current project. In the Project the primary data will be
collection through the use of a survey questionnaire from the home care staff (Naepi,
2019). Secondary data will involves collection of information from various such as
books, journals, magazines, publication Project as well as from internet etc. hence,
primary data and secondary data both are beneficial as they will allow the Projecter
to attain their Project objectives and aims.
Participants: Participants are the parties which will be involved in the Project
project. There are various stakeholders or participants in the current Project on the
role of leadership in increasing working efficiency of home care staff for improving
outcomes of service users in in an organization (Dow and et.al., 2020). The
participants will be homecare staff of the chosen organization, managers as well as
the users of service which are receiving services in their homes.
Time and total costs: Time is an important aspect with respect to a project i.e. it is
required to complete the project on time (Chilisa, 2019). The Project involve huge
time. The total time estimated will be 12-13 weeks for the Project and report
preparation. Costs are the considerations which are spend for a project. There are
various resources used in the current project on the role of leadership in increasing
working efficiency of home care staff for improving outcomes of service users in an
organization. It leads towards huge costs investment in the projects. An estimate of
the total costs involved in the current project are around $150. This will be used
towards the resources as well as performance of concerned steps of the research
like the collection of data and the use of resources like the internet as well as
towards the human resources too.
Quality and evaluation by Kirkpatrick’s evaluation approach: The quality will be
assessed with the help of Kirkpatrick’s evaluation approach. Assessment of the
quality of a project as well as its evaluations forms an important step in the its
successful implementation and significantly impacts its results. With a high-quality
evaluation, the various stakeholders of the project will be able to successfully identify
the possible outcomes of the project as well as the pitfalls that are to be prevented
(Moule and et.al., 2017). In the current project in organization, evaluation will
critically examine the progress of the project. It will also assist in making judgments
about the project so that its effectiveness can be improved.

For evaluating the present project in chosen organization, Kirkpatrick’s
evaluation approach can be used. This is the model that finds its use in evaluating
the results of various project initiatives (Gandomkar, 2018). The Kirkpatrick’s model
comprises of four distinct levels of evaluation. These are as follows:
Level 1- Reaction- This stage will comprise of determining the views of the
stakeholders, staff, leaders and managers about the project. Their views regarding
leadership role in improving working efficiency of home care staff will be analysed.
Level 2- Learning: at this stage, evaluation of the increase in knowledge, skills and
working practice of the home care staff can be undertaken. The learning stage will
also assist in evaluating the attitude of the staff towards the project.
Level 3: Behavior: At this level, the change in practice, because of the project, can
be evaluated (Johnston, Coyer and Nash, 2018). This will comprise of assessment
of the working practice of the home care staff.
Level 4: Result: This is the stage, at which the final result occurs on undertaking the
project. In the present project that is to be undertaken at organization, the result will
be improving working efficiency of the home care staff. It can be evaluated on the
basis of the quality-of-service delivery of the home care staff. Patient outcome is
another parameter which can be used to evaluate the progress and working of the
project (Seibel and Fehr, 2018). Further the quality of the service delivery can be
assessed by taking views of the patient experiences from the service users as well
as the family members. This will provide clear information about the impact of
leadership style on the working efficiency of home care staff at organization
(Whitehead, and Peckham, 2022).
Communication: Communication refers to the process of exchange of ideas,
message and important information. There are various methods of communication
such as verbal communication, written communication and digital communication as
well. The current Project will involve all the types of communication (Barnes, 2018).
The communication between all the participants or stakeholders was communicated
through verbal method and written communication method. The reports were
prepared and then communicated through methods such as email. Communication
was very frequent and was held every week.