Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

A Narrative Inquiry into the Practices of Healthcare Workers Wellness Program: The SEED Experience in New South Wales, Australia

Version 1 : Received: 13 August 2022 / Approved: 15 August 2022 / Online: 15 August 2022 (11:58:02 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Olcoń, K.; Allan, J.; Fox, M.; Everingham, R.; Pai, P.; Keevers, L.; Mackay, M.; Degeling, C.; Cutmore, S.-A.; Finlay, S.; Falzon, K. A Narrative Inquiry into the Practices of Healthcare Workers’ Wellness Program: The SEED Experience in New South Wales, Australia. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 13204. Olcoń, K.; Allan, J.; Fox, M.; Everingham, R.; Pai, P.; Keevers, L.; Mackay, M.; Degeling, C.; Cutmore, S.-A.; Finlay, S.; Falzon, K. A Narrative Inquiry into the Practices of Healthcare Workers’ Wellness Program: The SEED Experience in New South Wales, Australia. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 13204.

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 NSW Australia. SEED used a participatory action methodology to engage and collaborate with healthcare staff teams 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 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

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Psychiatry and Mental Health

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0


×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.