Reimagining Policies & Procedures: Putting Care Workers Back at the Centre
- Krystle Wong
- 20 hours ago
- 2 min read
Last week, we were proud to take part in a panel discussion at Health Connect, where our founder & CEO Liz joined sector leaders to explore one of the most overlooked yet deeply impactful aspects of care: policies and procedures.
The panel coincided with the launch of OpenDoc, a free policy library making care policies and procedures easily available to everyone. There are no fees to access the platform, and no barriers to use. Instead, OpenDoc brings together a community of experts who have reviewed and shaped these documents to ensure they are practical, clear, and fit for real-world care settings. Liz is one of the expert contributors supporting this work, alongside her role within Health Connect.
But what truly resonated during the panel was not just what OpenDoc offers – it was why a new approach is so urgently needed.
Why the Current Model Is Broken
Liz spoke from a care worker perspective, challenging the status quo around how policies and procedures are often created and used in the care sector today.
Too often, policies are:
Dense, overly technical, and difficult to understand
Written without the involvement of the people expected to use them
Stored away, unread and unused in day-to-day practice
And perhaps most damaging of all, policies are frequently experienced not as tools for support, but as tools for punishment, only pulled out by managers during disciplinary processes.
When policies feel inaccessible or intimidating, they fail everyone. Care workers are left uncertain and unsupported, managers struggle with consistency, and organisations miss the opportunity to create truly safe, compassionate, and high-quality care environments.
Policies are meant to guide, protect, and empower – not to confuse, alienate, or police.
The Power of Co-Production
A key theme from the panel – and central to OpenDoc – was co-production. Liz emphasised that when care workers are involved in shaping policies and procedures, everything changes. Documents become:
Clearer and more practical
Grounded in real care experiences
More likely to be understood, trusted, and actually used
When care workers see themselves reflected in the language and intent of policies, those documents become living tools – not compliance checklists. They support better decision-making, build confidence, and reinforce a shared culture of care rather than fear.
A Panel That Sparked Real Conversation
The response to the panel was overwhelmingly positive. Many attendees described it as a highlight of the event, praising the honesty, relevance, and care-worker-led perspective that Liz brought to the conversation. It was clear that this topic struck a nerve, and that there is a strong appetite across the sector for doing things differently.
Looking Ahead
The launch of OpenDoc represents more than just free access to policies and procedures. It signals a shift towards transparency, collaboration, and respect for the workforce that underpins our entire care system.
We’re proud to see Liz contributing to this work and to be part of conversations that challenge outdated models and advocate for solutions that genuinely support care workers – not just on paper, but in practice.
Because when policies are created with care workers, rather than about them, everyone benefits.