Health, Wellbeing and Bereavement for Health Professionals

Clinicians who work continuously or intermittently with patients who are approaching death, and their families, may experience their work as rewarding and/or demanding, both professionally and personally. (Palliative Care Expert Group, 2016). The emotional nature of palliative care work can also be influenced by the realities of increasing workloads, the potential scarcity of resources for those with life limiting illnesses.

 

Guidelines

  • The Clinical Supervision and Support Guideline describes clinical supervision options and provides a guide for organisations to support staff and volunteers appropriate to the individual and their scope of practice to access supervision, should they choose to do so.

    Click here to download these guidelines.

  • The 2 part psychosocial screening in palliative care setting and bereavement support in the palliative care setting guideline provides a framework to support generalist clinicians/services, across settings, to include screening for psychosocial distress as a part of palliative care assessment and provides support to staff in routine bereavement care, and to identify triggers for consideration of specialist bereavement care when necessary.

    Click here to view the guideline

  • The Self-care and wellbeing in the palliative care and end of life setting guidelines provide information on self-care options as a part of clinician wellbeing when working in a palliative care environment.

    Click here to download these guidelines.

 

Health and Wellbeing Resources

  • The Pandemic Kindness Movement was created by clinicians across Australia, working together to support all health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have curated respected, evidence-informed resources and links to valuable services to support the wellbeing of the health workforce.

    Click here to visit the Pandemic Kindness website.

  • For over 20 years, Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet has provided support to those working in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector by making research and other knowledge readily accessible.

    Click here to visit the HealthInfoNet website.

  • Smiling Mind is a free app that enables you to practice daily meditation and mindfulness exercises from any device Guidelines.

    Click here to find out more and download the app.

  • The Essence of Spiritual Care - Learning Modules are for all professionals in healthcare, developed in collaboration with clinical experts and education specialists.

    Topics include:

    What is spiritual care?
    What is spirituality?
    Listening, presence and empathy
    The art of spiritual care.

    Click here to be directed to the Launch Learning website

  • Developed by health professionals for health professionals, Treat is a unique self-care app designed to help you find calmness, clarity and balance during your busy working day.

    For IOS access the Treat App here.

  • Never has it been more important to care for your own mental health and wellbeing and for that of your employees, colleagues, family members or loved ones. Safer Care Victoria has a list of support and training services for health professionals.

    Click here to visit the Safercare Victoria website’s Healthcare worker wellbeing resources.

  • This toolkit provides a step-by-step guide to implementing a COVID-19 pandemic-specific professional development workshop focused on improving the wellbeing and reducing the risk of burnout in healthcare workers.

    Click here to open the toolkit

 

Support Services

  • Beyond Blue provides information and support to help everyone in Australia achieve their best possible mental health, whatever their age and wherever they live.

    Phone : 1300 22 4636

    Click here to visit the Beyond Blue website.

  • Each health service, community health service, and residential aged care facility will have arrangements to support employee wellbeing.

    EAP services provide confidential telephone counselling support to employees with psychosocial concerns and enhance wellbeing, related to work or personal circumstances.

    Please check your employee website or noticeboard for contact details

  • These meetings can also be known as death reviews or death debriefs. It’s an opportunity available to all staff across Gippsland working in or with Palliative Care patients, to be part of a confidential facilitated informal discussion about deaths that have recently occurred.

    They are facilitated by one of the experienced Social Workers from Gippsland Regional Palliative Care Consultancy Service (GRPCCS).

    These reflections can be held on an on-going regular or ad hoc basis, in either a group format at times individually.

    Click here for more information or contact the GRPCCS on 5173 8663 or via email at bwicks@lrh.com.au or lgordon@lrh.com.au

  • Life Line is a national charity providing all Australians experiencing emotional distress with access to 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.

    Phone: 13 11 14

    Click here to visit the Life Line website.

  • Nurse & Midwife Support is a 24/7 national support hotline for nurses and midwives, nursing and midwifery students, employers, educators and concerned family and friends. It provides access to confidential advice and referral.

    Phone: 1800 667 877

    Click here to visit the Nurse & Midwife Support website.

 

Grief Loss and Bereavement Resources

  • For information and resources on Grief Loss and Bereavement click here

This document was last updated on Tuesday 31 May 2022.