The quality of work life of frontline healthcare workers that affect service delivery at selected hospitals in South Africa

Abstract

Good health and well-being is the third of the 17 sustainable development goals to transform the world. As a key contributor to achieving this goal, the global healthcare sector has come under the spotlight. The Covid-19 pandemic presented multiple challenges for healthcare workers globally. Post the pandemic, high quality of work life became a priority for many professionals. The study assessed how quality of work life affects the ability of frontline healthcare workers to provide a high quality of service. Adopting a descriptive exploratory paradigm, the research used mixed methods to gather data from a purposive sample using an in-depth questionnaire comprising of open and closed ended questions. Data revealed that the daily challenges experienced by frontline healthcare workers, particularly those pertaining to the working environment, at selected public central hospitals in South Africa, inhibit their capacity to deliver high quality of service resulting in a low quality of work life. The underlying challenge of inadequate financial support has led to 71% of respondents expressing a lack of resources to fulfil their daily tasks. Furthermore, 90% of respondents believe that there is a serious staff shortage, which leads to other issues such as long wait times, cross contamination and low quality of worklife. Other noteworthy statistics show that, while 73% of the employees received training, only 31% reported skill advancement. The study presented a model for improving the quality of work life to aid improving service delivery which is constantly under scrutiny in South Africa. Results show that despite the implementation of numerous strategies, monitoring and evaluating the execution through data collection, analysis and reporting to promote openness and accountability, ultimately leading to successful implementation is still a challenge.