Life Without Barriers

• Journey Mapping. We started by mapping employee and customer journeys to understand our current workflows, and to identify gaps, duplication, and inefficiencies.  
• Role Scoping. Next we reviewed the scope of roles across multiple workforce groups, including Care Coordination, Workforce Support, Business Solutions, Administration, Rostering, Practice Support & Assurance, and Client Engagement. 
• Developed a Delegation Framework.  We developed a structured delegation framework, which included (i) Task categorisation (into clinical, non-clinical, and administrative), and (ii) Clear guidelines outlining who could safely and appropriately complete each task, supported by a risk-based decision-making approach. 
• Created practical tools to support implementation, including: 
• Delegation decision-making guides 
• Key process maps incorporating RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) methodology, particularly for workflows involving multiple teams 
• Engaged staff through consultation and co-design, to ensure the blueprint was practical, user-friendly, and relevant to day-to-day operations. 
• Trialled the blueprint in real time with teams, actively incorporating staff feedback and insights into the final design. 
• Refined the approach, using real-world data to improve the framework and tools. 

The project resulted in several positive outcomes, as tracked in pre- and post-trial surveys (with n=15 and n=10, respectively). 

Role clarity, confidence & ability to act in uncertainty 

• The proportion of people feeling ‘very confident’ in deciding which matters could be managed independently versus escalated increased, from 53.3% to 80.0%. 
• Significantly more staff were comfortable making decisions with incomplete or ambiguous information, after using the delegation blueprint. Pre-trial, only one third (33.3%) of surveyed staff agreed or strongly agreed they were comfortable making decisions with incomplete or ambiguous information, this leapt to 90% of staff surveyed post-trial.  
• In open-ended feedback, people noted that “Clear swim lanes and well-defined role expectations reduced confusion;” that the tools “Helped me feel comfortable in my decision making”, and that “I wasn't left second guessing my decision." 

Improved cross-team collaboration 

• The delegation tools helped staff to understand who was responsible for what, and when. In the post-trial survey, 100% of staff felt extremely or very confident to reach out to other teams with queries, rather than raising issues first with their manager.  
• Staff appreciated the “Reduced ambiguity between teams”, along with improved visibility, alignment between teams, and improved accountability. 

Likely improvements in decision-making speed 

• After the trial, more staff felt extremely or very confident that escalation pathways supported timely decision making (from 26.7% to 60.0% of respondents). 
• At baseline, only 6.7% of staff had high confidence that the current delegation arrangements supported fast outcomes for staff and clients; this increased significantly to 60.0% of staff, post-trial (p<0.01).  
• As staff noted in their feedback the tool "Reduced confusion, duplication of work, and delays," and "Led to faster decision-making and reduced time spent figuring out what to do next."  

Finally, after implementation of the new approach, no respondents reported being “Not at All Confident” in relation to role clarity or escalation pathways. 

In sum, the project addressed one of the key issues we had identified: uncertainty surrounding decision authority. Survey results demonstrated improved understanding of decision rights, stronger confidence in escalation processes, and increased confidence that delegation arrangements supported timely outcomes for staff and clients.  

Building on this work, we will complete the final stages of our structural redesign in aged care. The delegation maps, frameworks, and blueprints will be refined to align with the newly designed team structures, with a strong focus on empowering local regions and strengthening decision-making at the frontline. 

These resources will then be implemented nationally, to support a consistent and sustainable approach across the organisation. 

Importantly, these blueprints will not be treated as a “set and forget” initiative. Instead, they will be embedded into daily workflows, becoming part of standard practice, organisational culture, and everyday dialogue. Ongoing review and continuous improvement will ensure they remain responsive to sector changes, and continue to support workforce effectiveness and high-quality care delivery. 

Here are some of our key lessons, from the Flagship 1 project: 

• Delegation is often underutilised due to lack of clarity, not lack of willingness 
• Staff benefit from practical, easy-to-use tools, rather than complex frameworks 
• Co-design with frontline staff is critical to successful implementation 
• Small workflow changes can lead to significant improvements in ways of working