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Conflict Resolution: The Value of Mediation and Early Intervention in Health and Social Care

on Thursday, 13 June 2024.

In Health and Social Care, conflicts can impact workplace morale and effectiveness. Early intervention through mediation can prevent conflicts from escalating, ensuring a more harmonious and productive environment and improve the care provided.

The impact of conflict

We observe unresolved conflicts leading to a range of issues:

  • Increased stress and anxiety, affecting employees' mental health and wellbeing
  • Reduced productivity and team effectiveness
  • Higher rates of sickness absence
  • Strained personal relationships and sleep disturbances
  • Financial cost of all the above, including significant management time.

In many cases, conflicts persist for extended periods, making employees dread coming to work and creating a tense atmosphere. This situation is detrimental to both the individuals involved and the organisation as a whole. Sometimes, conflicts escalate formally into grievances or disciplinary processes. While sometimes necessary, these processes can result in conflict becoming further entrenched.

Root causes of conflict

In our experience, the most frequent cause of workplace conflict is communication problems. When colleagues avoid difficult conversations, misunderstandings and assumptions can escalate tensions. Colleagues may form echo chambers with others who stoke the fire rather than support extinguishing it.

The mediation process

Mediation is a structured, yet flexible process designed to resolve conflicts quickly and effectively. It typically involves the following steps, facilitated by a skilled mediator:

  • Pre-Planning: Participants are briefed on what to expect from the mediation process
  • Individual Sessions: Each participant meets with the mediator individually to discuss their views and concerns; they are encouraged to write down their perspective and start to reflect on how they wish to move forward
  • Joint Session: Both parties come together to share their perspectives, listen to each other, and collaboratively generate solutions

The key to the success of mediation is that solutions are generated by the participants themselves, leading to greater ownership and commitment to the outcomes.

Benefits of mediation

Mediation has a success rate of 90%, often resolving conflicts in less than a day. This approach provides several benefits:

  • Quick Resolution: Conflicts that might otherwise drag on for months or years can be resolved swiftly
  • Improved Relationships: Participants often discover that their disputes are based on misunderstandings and can rebuild their working relationships
  • Positive Work Environment: Resolving conflicts early helps maintain a positive and productive workplace
  • Employee Wellbeing: Mediation can significantly improve the mental and emotional wellbeing of employees involved in conflicts

Is mediation right for your organisation?

If you have employees or partners engaged in ongoing disputes, mediation could be an effective solution. Look for signs such as unresolved grievances, persistent workplace tensions, and high sickness absence rates. Mediation is voluntary, so it requires the agreement of both parties, but the benefits can be significant.

By adopting mediation and early intervention strategies, health and social care organisations can foster a healthier, more collaborative work environment, ultimately enhancing the quality of care they provide.


To explore how mediation can benefit your organisation, contact Accredited Mediators at Narrow Quay HR, Simon Martin or Kathryn Chidzey-Jones, at 07384 813076 or 07881 092524 respectively.

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