What can be done about workplace wellbeing in emergency departments? ‘There’s no petrol for this Ferrari’

Workplace wellbeing encompasses all aspects of working life. Peak health organisations recognise that poor workplace wellbeing is costly, both to individuals and to the organisation, and the value in promoting healthy workplaces. Workplace wellbeing improves when its barriers are acknowledged and addressed, and protective factors are promoted.

The Emergency Department (ED) is a place of intense and challenging activity, exacerbated by high workloads and overcrowding. This impacts negatively on patient care, staff safety and wellbeing.

We held focus groups across four EDs to discuss barriers and enablers to wellbeing and found four core themes: Workplace Satisfaction; Barriers to Wellbeing; Organisational Culture that Prioritises Staff Wellbeing; Self-care and Self Compassion. From this, and existing literature, we collaboratively developed a contextualised staff wellbeing framework titled: ‘Staff Wellbeing Good Practice Framework: From Surviving to Thriving, How to Protect your Wellbeing in the Emergency Department’ that emphasises their values of Competence, Connection and Control.