Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has celebrated the success of an employee engagement programme - World of Welcome (WoW) - that has seen more than 10,000 staff participating in targeted hospitality training aimed at enhancing the experience of patients and visitors.
The celebration, held at Hamad bin Khalifa Medical City’s Club and Hotel, was attended by HMC’s managing director Hanan al-Kuwari.
The WoW programme was developed initially in 2011 by the hospitality department to help raise awareness among staff about the importance of the right kind of hospital environment on improving healthcare outcomes. Over the past few years, the programme has become increasingly popular and by early 2015, more than 10,000 employees have successfully completed the WoW programme, and the aim is to increase the pace of training over the coming year.
Acknowledging the importance of the programme, Hamad al-Khalifa, chief of health facilities development at HMC, said that research has shown that how patients feel impacts directly on how well they heal.
“How we interact with our patients and their families directly affects the experience they have when they come to our hospitals to seek our help,” al-Khalifa said.
“Since its inception, the programme has made a real difference to staff interaction with patients and other visitors. The fact that over 10,000 participants have undergone the training represents a significant milestone in the corporation’s goal to deliver the safest, most effective and compassionate care to all its patients.”
Participants are encouraged to embrace the values and standards incorporated in the WoW training. By raising awareness of the importance of collaboration and teamwork, the programme delivers real benefit to staff as well as patients and their families.
“The courses have been tailored to relate to our own healthcare environment and participants receive real examples, practical information and ideas that can be transferred directly to the workplace,” said Haya al-Hamad, executive director of hospitality at HMC.
Hanan al-Kuwari with senior members of the WoW programme.
