Mrs Katie Boon, Mrs Derani Burns
1RFDS CO, Adelaide Airport, Australia
Critical care in the air or anywhere can sometimes become a critical incident. Whether it is a deteriorating patient, a pilot incapacitation, or life stressors which Covid 19 particularly has heightened. Who is looking after us when we need support? The Beyond Blue commissioned study: Answering the Call – National Mental Health and Wellbeing Study of Police and Emergency Services highlights 1 in 3 employees experience high or very high psychological distress, much higher than just over 1 in 8 among all adults in Australia.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service Central Operations understands the importance of well people to provide the highest quality service and care to our patients and the communities that we serve. Because of this, RFDS CO implemented an Employee Wellbeing framework in 2019. One critical aspect was the creation of a Peer Support Program. This involves training staff from all disciplines across the organisation in the principles of peer support, psychological first aid and mental health literacy. The Peer Supporters are also trained to respond to incidences and identify signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and psychosis in their peers. Everyone from all disciplines involved in a critical event is supported by Peer Support Officers. From Operations Communication Centre staff who receive the initial code blue call, pilots who help at the scene, to engineers who respond to code blacks in the patient transfer facility.
This presentation will cover aspects of the program that are required for it to be mutually beneficial to both the employer and the employee. The importance of peer support and referral pathways in supporting an employee in their recovery following a critical incident. I will present the challenges which vary from diverging away from a ‘debriefing’ approach to measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of the program.
Biography:
Biographies to come