A new WorkSafe-funded initiative will be launched in 15 Victorian residential aged care homes to address a growing mental health crisis that has led to hundreds of injury claims and high rates of burnout among nursing staff.
The program comes in response to alarming data showing health and social assistance workers account for more than a quarter of all accepted WorkCover claims for mental injury in Victoria, including 362 claims from the residential aged care sector alone over the past five years.
Led by the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA), the initiative will support workplaces to identify and prevent factors that contribute to mental injury, such as bullying, workplace violence, high job demand and fatigue.
Mia Dhillon, General Manager of the Health Care Solutions unit at APNA, said the scale of the issue was reinforced by a recent national survey.
“Nurses working in aged care report high levels of stress and burnout, and a third rate their health as fair or poor; significantly higher than those in other primary health care settings,” Dhillon said.
The initiative aims to improve the “psychosocial safety climate” for staff, which is seen as directly linked to the quality of resident care.
“These nurses are on the frontline of care for some of the most vulnerable people in our community. Supporting their mental health at work is essential to ensuring safe, high-quality care for residents,” Dhillon added.
Learnings from the 15 pilot sites will be shared across the sector to help shape future policies and standards that better protect the well-being of all workers in aged care.
Ritchelle is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel, Australia’s premier resource of information for healthcare.
