This master’s thesis examines the evaluation of staff support practices in a selected private
outpatient healthcare clinic operating without a public concession. It is based on the understanding
that caring for employees in healthcare is important not only for staff well-being, but also for the
quality of care, patient safety, and the long-term stability of the organisation. Particular attention is
given to the private clinic as a specific organisational setting in which, due to the small team size,
limited resources, and a high degree of interpersonal interdependence, support practices are often
developed directly, situationally, and in a less formalised manner. The aim of the study was to provide
a comprehensive evaluation of existing staff support practices and to contribute to a better
understanding of their effects, limitations, and potential for further development.
The study is qualitative and evaluative in nature, more specifically a formative evaluation. The study
population consisted of individuals involved in the clinic’s work process, of whom seven participated.
Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews conducted in February and March
2026. The data were then analysed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis, adapted to the
evaluative purpose of the study and complemented by elements of the Most Significant Change
(MSC) method (Davies and Dart, 2005).
The findings indicate that employees assess staff support practices primarily in terms of their
meaningfulness, fairness, accessibility, and alignment with everyday work processes. The key factors
shaping their experiences were the quality of team relationships, open communication, work
organisation, a sense of being heard, and leadership style. Employees perceived as most supportive
those practices and changes that contributed to greater psychological safety, stronger team cohesion,
greater organisational clarity, and a stronger sense of being recognised and respected as individuals
and professionals. At the same time, the study showed that the formal presence of such practices does
not in itself mean that employees experience them as effective support. When introduced unilaterally,
without adaptation to employees’ actual needs or within an inadequate relational and organisational
context, such practices were often perceived as ineffective, burdensome, or even as having the
opposite effect. In line with the logic of the MSC method, the most significant perceived changes
were most often related to relationships, communication, a sense of safety, and work organisation,
rather than to symbolic or material forms of support.
The findings further suggest that the effectiveness of staff support practices in a private clinic is
shaped primarily at the level of the broader organisational context rather than merely through
individual activities. Based on the study, the main recommendations for improvement include more
open, safe, and regular dialogue, greater employee involvement in the planning of support practices,
better work organisation, more fairness and respect, and more stable leadership. Staff support
practices are perceived as meaningful primarily when they are participatory, voluntary, fair, regular,
and oriented towards improving the fundamental conditions of work and collaboration.
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