- Wellbeing SA - Looking after your mental health - self care strategies
- Support services available - personal and legal supports
- Pandemic kindness movement - Resources created by clinicians across Australia, based around health care worker needs
- Wellbeing online measurement tool - SAHMRI Wellbeing and Resilience Centre
- The science of wellbeing - SAHMRI Wellbeing and Resilience Centre
- Mental wellbeing playlist - YouTube videos from Workplace wellness festival
- Supporting those impacted by the surge of COVID cases - Assure Programs
- Helping frontline staff after a major event - Assure Programs
- Tips for a good night's sleep - Converge International
- Management of fatigue during COVID-19 - Guidance for workers - CALHN
EATING WELL
- Planning your pantry during COVID-19 - Dietitians Association of Australia
- Reduce your risk: health and hygiene tips - Assure Programs
MANAGING ANXIETY AND STRESS
- Managing anxiety and stress - Black Dog Institute comprehensive advice and information related to COVID-19
- 11 Psychological Tips for Frontline Staff – Mindspot.org.au
- Reduce your risk: minimise your anxiety - Assure Programs
- Self care during times of uncertainty - Assure Programs
- Understanding health anxiety - Assure Programs
- Coronavirus anxiety resources - Black Dog Institute
CALHN SPIRITUAL CARE
The Spiritual Care Centre at the Royal Adelaide Hospital is located in the main concourse, Level 3, Zone B.
Hospital Chaplains are also available at TQEH between 9:00 am and 8:00 pm, 7 days a week. For more information the Spiritual Care team can be contacted on 7074 1126.
SA HEALTH COVID-19 MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
SA Health offers mental health support by phone and video in relation to COVID-19, for community members who are concerned about COVID-19 infection, with more specific concerns arising for people being tested, in quarantine or who have received a diagnosis.
- SA COVID-19 Mental Health Support Line – call 1800 632 753
The SA COVID-19 Mental Health Support Line is available 8.00 am to 8.00 pm, 7 days a week. This service can also provide follow-up calls.
For information on coping and mental health support, including other telephone services, see our Mental Health impacts of COVID-19 fact sheet for staff.
For assistance in a mental health emergency, contact the mental health triage service - telephone 13 14 65 available 24 hours, seven days a week.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH – HEAD TO HEALTH COVID-19 SUPPORT
Deals with concerns around the coronavirus outbreak and self-isolation, impact on mental health and wellbeing, emotions, such as stress, worry, anxiety, boredom, or low mood. Head to Health is committed to providing Australians with trusted information and digital supports to help support everyone's mental health and wellbeing during this pandemic. This page covers where to get the facts about the COVID-19 outbreak, tips for maintaining good mental health, information on how to access mental health services, information for parents, and how to keep older Australians safe and connected by helping them get established online.
THIS WAY UP
Lead by Professor Gavin Andrews and a team of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists at St Vincent's Hospital, THIS WAY UP has online tools to support emotional wellbeing and protect your mental health during this time. These include tips and strategies, audio guide and self-paced online treatment courses to tackle insomnia, worry or anxiety.
OTHER HELPFUL MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
- COVID-19 information for Australians - Australian Psychological Society
- Lifeline
- Beyond Blue
- Doctors Health SA – 24/7 Support Line - 8366 0250 - answered by GPs working at Doctors' Health SA - Available to medical practitioners and medical students, and concerned colleagues.
- Access SA FAQs - Clarify confidentiality concerns, benefits of counselling, what could be addressed in EAP counselling
- Work and your mental health during the coronavirus outbreak - Heads Up
- COVID-19 support guide - SuperFriend
- Be Well Plan - SAHMRI
- Mental health awareness during COVID-19: e-learning module (Note: The module takes approximately 20-minutes and is best accessed through Chrome)
- Psychological tips for frontline staff - MindSpot
- Frontline workers and COVID-19 - Australian Psychological Society
- WellMob: For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers - online wellbeing resources that are culturally relevant includes websites, apps, podcasts, videos, social media, and online counselling all with a focus on social and emotional wellbeing.
- TEN: The Essential Network for Health Professionals – developed by and for health professionals as part of the Australian Government’s COVID-19 response. Mental health care for frontline workers; offers discrete and convenient access to mental health screening, resources and person-to-person support
- Drs4Drs: promotes the health and wellbeing of doctors and medical students. 24/7 helpline staffed by senior GPs and experienced counsellors trained in doctors’ health: South Australia: (08) 8366 0250
- Nurse and Midwife Support: A 24/7 national support service for nurses and midwives providing access to confidential advice and referral.
- E-Couch Programs: Interactive self-help and evidence-based information to help users to understand and manage symptoms associated with common mental issues.
EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) aims to address work related or personal problems that may affect the work performance, health, safety or wellbeing of an employee by offering up to 4 free confidential professional counselling services.
CALHN EAP PROVIDERS
- Access SA (Primary provider) 1300 66 77 00
- Assure Programs (Primary provider) 1800 808 374
- Australian Institute of Loss and Grief (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander counsellor) (08) 8341 5557
- Edward Street Psychology (Mental Health) (08) 8431 9300
- Human Psychology 1300 277 924
For more information please view the CALHN EAP intranet page.
- Hand hygiene meditation - Guide to display in handwashing stations for greater visibility and increase uptake as you can read and try it out as you wash hands
- Guided meditation - 10 minute body scan - YouTube video from Black Dog Institute
Overcoming burnout webinar- Dr Kate Daley and Mindfulness expert, Choden, guide a discussion on how to get the balance just right to keep burnout at bay
Addressing burnout - Beamtree and Health Roundtable
LEADER’S WELLBEING GUIDE
The aim of this guide is to help provide tips and ideas on how you can support your staff during COVID-19. Download the guide here.
TEMPORARY ROLE TRANSITION GUIDE
The purpose of this guide is to provide a checklist and information for managers and individual employees to support a smooth transitioning to temporary roles. Download the guide here.
SUPPORT THE FRONTLINE WORKERS
The Support the Workers collective is an international group of experts in disaster response, crisis psychology, high pressure decision-making and human performance and health under conditions of extreme stress. Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the group developed a range of 1-page briefing notes on issues that are specifically relevant for frontline workers. The resources they have shared are evidence-based and cover topics such as moral injury, decision making, PTSD, extreme stressors, anxiety and fear and performance debriefing.
EMBRACE A POSITIVE MINDSET CHAMPION
In our teams we have our formal jobs but we also play informal roles to help support our team mates. Someone may be the meeting organiser or the fun events coordinator for example.
At a difficult and stressful time it may be useful to think about someone in your team who could play the role of helping to lift up the team and keep everyone positive - a 'positive mindset champion'. This is not a formal role but there may be someone in your team who is naturally positive, has a sense of fun and is able to help encourage others.
They could think about fun activities, share a laugh in a team meeting, think about simple ways to keep the team positive and motivated through these times when we can feel overwhelmed and anxious.
Give some thought as to who this could be. Is there someone in your team who is naturally good at this? Approach them and ask if they would be interested and share the above as an idea starter and then ask them to come up with their own ideas and plan. You may need to free them up with a little bit of time to make this happen for the team. The benefits will certainly be there though if this is something you can make work.
HOW HOSPITAL STAFF CAN RESPOND TO STRESS
The COVID-19 Trauma Response Working Group from The King’s Fund have created a guide for planners implementing psychological support for staff on how to respond to stress.
OTHER HELPFUL LEADERS RESOURCES
- Supporting others in times of uncertainty - Australian Government Comcare
- Management of fatigue during COVID-19 - Guidance for managers - CALHN
- Managing Minds Podcast - Aimed at helping leaders effectively manage mental health issues in the workplace, this five-part podcast series covers topics from preventing burnout to managing an unhealthy work culture.
Where possible, some staff have been set up to work remotely to ensure physical distancing. To make sure you are set up as best as you can be for working at home, download the working from home guidelines which include the Working From Home Form.
- How to look after your mental health when working from home - Beyond Blue
- Working from home: A checklist to support your mental health during Coronavirus - Black Dog Institute
- Working from home - how to set up your home office - ABC News
Here are some suggested exercises that may help to keep aches/pains at bay with this information from SafeWork SA.
Stay informed
Keep up-to-date and informed via reputable and straightforward news sources, such as the COVID-19 Facebook Group, the SA Health website, the World Health Organisation, and the Australian Government Department of Health website.
- Understanding the impact of uncertainty on children - Assure Programs
- Maintaining positive relationships in difficult times - Assure Programs
Research tells us that gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater wellbeing, improved health and resilience, and can even help to build strong relationships.
We have developed a range of templates for you to print out and use for your own appreciation station. You can also find thank you cards here – feel free to pick your favourite design; print it, fold it, and write a thank you note to someone who’s made your day a little easier.
Gratitude wall templates
Thank you cards
You can share the resources below with your team and co-workers to provide some wellbeing tips and reminders.
POSTERS
APPS
- Wellbeing Gateway App - Assure Programs