We recently sat down for a catch-up with Barb McNair, who looks after our South Burnett team among her many responsibilities, to see what's been happening on the ground!
According to Barb, the flu has been ripping through the South Burnett in recent weeks. Just about everyone on our team has come down with it, plus participants and their families have been stuck in bed, sick and isolated. At the same time, we’ve had several new participants come on board with us, many with significant support needs. To keep up with that demand, we have hired five new workers in a short period of time!
When sickness hits a regional community like ours - especially when we're also managing another period of growth - rosters get messy very quickly. As Barb says, there is no automated system or computer screen that fixes it. Rather, it’s people.
When a worker wakes up sick at 5 AM, a message goes out on our channel, and multiple voices call out offering to help. And when we’re really tight like recently, David, Barb and Tegan, have been getting in their cars and covering the shifts themselves. There is simply no other way to get the work done. And we do love the work.
But even with our leadership team out on the tools, there have days lately when the numbers didn’t quite add up. So, we looked at our rosters, and Barb called some of our long-term clients to see if we could reduce a service by an hour or two here or there, to help cover someone else in town who was in a tight spot.
Of course, the response has been warm, positive and helpful. Our participants want to help. They want to know if there’s something they can do to make a difference. They understand better than anybody what unsupported lives can be like.
We recently started support services for a local infant who is in palliative care. One of our staff members is best qualified for this support. As a result, that worker hadn't been out to see one of her regular clients for a couple of weeks. The regular client started to worry.
As soon as Barb explained the situation, they didn't hesitate. They didn't complain about their own hours or how it affected their routine, even though their own support needs are real and constant. Instead, their response was, "Oh, don’t take her away from that. That’s too important, don’t take her away from there."
Something our long-term clients also offer is feedback on our newer workers. They know the values we hold close to heart, and those are the same values they resonate with. If someone is missing the mark in any area of support, they know to speak - clearly and early. It gives us a chance to help course correct and make sure that worker will be working better across the board with all our clients.
This approach, working cooperatively with participants, may seem a little unconventional to some. But this is the South Burnett. We're a community within a community.
Out here, distance and limited services mean we cannot treat support like a simple business transaction. Workers are out there in houses by themselves, driving long distances between towns, and managing situations without anyone standing over their shoulder.
We encourage our new staff to connect with us and communicate. Soon afterwards, they realise our community is VERY chatty and VERY supportive!