| Summary: | The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 108 of 1996 (SA, 1996) makes
provision for all citizens to receive quality health care. Legislation such as the White
Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service of 1995, (SA, 1995a), the White
Paper on Transforming Public Service Delivery (Batho Pele) (SA, 1997b), the Public
Service Act 103 of 1994, as amended (SA, 1994), the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995
(SA, 1995b) and the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 (SA, 1998) enshrines this right
for all citizens by ensuring that health authorities put measures in place to improve the
performance of nurse employee (NE), and thus ensuring quality health care.
NE are only able to improve the quality of their performance, if their performance is
systematically appraised and their potential for development is identified. However,
researchers, for instance Du Plessis (2002:116), Nkosi (2002:37–44), Narcisse and
Harcourt (2008:1154), Thompson et al. (1999:139), Fletcher (2001:473) studied the
perceptions and experiences of employees and managers of performance appraisal
(PA) and these studies indicated that there is a gap in the implementation of PA.
The Performance Management and Development System (PMDS) policy (Policy no.
NWPG 13) was implemented in the North West public health sector in clinics and
hospitals in 2004 to provide guidelines for the implementation of PA. This policy is
reviewed annually since it was first drafted. However the researcher’s personal
experience with PA in practice was that there is a gap between the process provided by
the PMDS policy (Policy no. NWPG 13) and the implementation thereof in the North
West public health sector. This led to the following research questions: how is PA
implemented from the perspectives of nurse line managers (NLM) and NE in clinics in
the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District (KKD) and what guidelines can be developed to
improve the implementation of PA in clinics in the KKD? The study aimed to develop
guidelines to improve the implementation of PA in clinics in the KKD.
The study had a cross–sectional quantitative design with exploratory, descriptive and
contextual research strategies. Two questionnaires: one for NLM and the other for NE
were developed from section 13.4.4 and 13.4.5 of the PMDS policy (Policy no. NWPG
13 amendment approved for 2008–2009 performance cycle) (SA, 2007), to explore and
describe the perceptions of NLM and NE on the implementation of PA in clinics in the
KKD.
Twenty–three problems were identified from the empirical research with regard to
communication, feedback and participation in PA, which served as the evidence base
towards developing guidelines to improve the implementation of PA in clinics in the
KKD. The guidelines were developed using inductive and deductive reasoning and
were based on the ten–point plan of Juran. Finally the research was evaluated,
limitations were identified and recommendations were formulated for practice,
education, management, research and policy. === Thesis (M.Cur.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.
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