Staff wellbeing

In acute health services, we are aware of the psychological impact that caring for people can have on clinical and ancillary staff and recognise the need to provide proactive support initiatives.

To address this need, the RMH has developed a multidisciplinary Workforce Wellbeing Team to support the wellbeing needs of staff. The team uses the psychological first aid framework to provide consultation and a variety of direct-service provision interventions.

These include:

• Team and individual defuses
• Wellbeing skills sessions
• Reflective practice
• Wellbeing capacity building for managers and leaders

In addition to this, the Workforce Wellbeing Team supports and partners with the following programs.

Staff support and wellbeing line

The Staff Support and Wellbeing Line is a confidential phone service available Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. It is facilitated by the members of the Workforce Wellbeing Team.

The phone service is based on a psychological first aid model, and aims to facilitate referral to external services as appropriate.

Callers will be provided with an initial consultation to identify their needs and given an opportunity to arrange a brief intervention session with a Wellbeing Consultant if required.

Peer Support program

The Peer Support program is a confidential, non-crisis service provided by employees of the RMH.

Peer supporters are volunteers and are able to draw on their knowledge of the complex work environment to provide collegial support.

Peer supporters have also been professionally trained to provide psychological first aid, support and education in stress management and coping strategies, and can refer employees to external, longer-term support services. Peer supporters make themselves known in work areas and are identifiable by their peer support badge.

Family violence contact officers

The Family Violence Contact Officer program is a confidential, non-crisis service provided by employees of the RMH and is available to staff Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Family violence contact officers have been professionally trained to provide support to those experiencing family violence, and have knowledge of the leave entitlements available in these circumstances.

They can also facilitate referral to external support services as appropriate.

Occupational violence and aggression

Here at the RMH, we are committed to providing a safe workplace for our staff.

We believe that violence and aggression is not just ‘part of the job’ and want our staff to be able to come to work and feel safe. That’s because we recognise that our people are our greatest asset, and that delivering great patient care can only be achieved if staff feel safe at work.

This is why the RMH is committed to a ‘safety first’ approach to addressing occupational violence and aggression (OVA). To help minimise the impact and support the prevention of OVA, the RMH introduced the OVA Staff Consultancy and Education Service 2016.

Led by a team of Clinical Nurse Consultants, the OVA Staff Consultancy and Education Service embodies ‘safety first’ principles to make sure our workplace is proactively working towards preventing and reducing the risk of OVA across our sites.

This service leads this initiative through staff education, training, and consultancy model. Working closely with leaders across the organisation, the OVA Staff Consultancy and Education Service help make informed risk management plans and formulate strategies to keep our staff and patients safe.

Employee Assistance Program

The RMH also provides access to the Employee Assistance Program, which is operated by an external agency, Converge International.

This service is available to staff 24/7 and is a free, confidential, short-term counselling service for both personal and work-related concerns.

Employees can speak to an on-call counsellor over the phone or arrange an appointment within business hours. This service is also available to employees' family members.