A Narrative Inquiry into the Practices of Healthcare Workers’ Wellness Program: The SEED Experience in New South Wales, Australia
Katarzyna Olcoń (),
Julaine Allan,
Mim Fox,
Ruth Everingham,
Padmini Pai,
Lynne Keevers,
Maria Mackay,
Chris Degeling,
Sue-Anne Cutmore,
Summer Finlay and
Kristine Falzon
Additional contact information
Katarzyna Olcoń: School of Health and Society, The University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Julaine Allan: Rural Health Research Institute, Charles Sturt University, Leeds Pd, Orange, NSW 2800, Australia
Mim Fox: School of Health and Society, The University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Ruth Everingham: School of Health and Society, The University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Padmini Pai: Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, 67-71 King Street, Warrawong, NSW 2502, Australia
Lynne Keevers: School of Health and Society, The University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Maria Mackay: School of Nursing, The University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Chris Degeling: School of Health and Society, The University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Sue-Anne Cutmore: School of Health and Society, The University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Summer Finlay: School of Health and Society, The University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Kristine Falzon: Waminda South Coast Women’s Health and Welfare Aboriginal Corporation, 122 Kinghorne St, Nowra, NSW 2541, Australia
IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 20, 1-14
Abstract:
The 2019–2020 Australian bushfires followed by the COVID-19 pandemic brought the significant mental health implications of working in healthcare to the fore. The importance of appropriate support services to ensure the resilience and recovery of healthcare workers has been highlighted. In response to healthcare staff experiences during the bushfires, the SEED Wellness Program was created in 2020 in the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District in New South Wales, Australia. SEED used a participant-led design to engage healthcare staff in workplace-based restorative activities. Guided by practice theory, this study aimed to identify and describe SEED wellness practices that supported healthcare staff. Thirty-three healthcare workers participated in focus groups or individual interviews between June 2021 and March 2022. The analysis involved inductive thematic individual and collective exploration of SEED practices, including co-analysis with participants. Eight core practices that supported participants’ wellbeing were identified, including responsive and compassionate leading, engaging staff at every stage of the recovery process, creating a sense of connection with others, and collective caring. The study found that workplace wellness initiatives are optimised when they are place-based and grounded in local knowledge, needs, and resources incorporating a collective and supportive team approach. Moreover, to ensure engagement in, and sustainability of these initiatives, both bottom-up and top-down commitment is required.
Keywords: healthcare workers; workplace wellness; mental health and wellbeing; recovery; resilience; Australian bushfires; COVID-19; burnout; occupational trauma (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)
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