About Caring for Healthcare Workers

Caring for Healthcare Workers is a unique and free resource developed specifically to assess, protect and promote psychological health and safety in healthcare workplace settings.

Regardless of profession or sector, protection and promotion of mental health in the workplace is imperative. However, healthcare settings can be particularly challenging environments. In partnership with the By Health, For Health Collaborative (the Collaborative), the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) and HealthcareCAN are committed to broadening the awareness and importance of workplace psychological health and safety within the healthcare sector across Canada.

The National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety (the Standard) identifies a set of workplace psychosocial factors that contribute to, or threaten, the psychological health and safety of the Canadian workforce. In addition to these, healthcare organizations have unique psychological risks and opportunities. Appropriately measuring these psychological risks and relevant indicators has been identified as a significant challenge within the sector. In response to this need, the Collaborative has commissioned a project to develop customized tools to assess workplace psychological health and safety in the Canadian healthcare sector.

Psychosocial Survey for Healthcare

The Psychosocial Survey for Healthcare (PSH) is a brief, voluntary, confidential online survey asking staff in a healthcare organization or work area to provide their perspective on the fifteen psychological factors within their particular workplace. These factors can include the way the work is carried out (deadlines, workload, work methods) and the context in which work occurs (including relationships and interactions with managers and supervisors, colleagues, patients, family members or visitors).

Organizational Review for Healthcare

The Organizational Review for Healthcare (ORH) is an audit tool to facilitate identification of psychosocial factors, key indicators (qualitative and quantitative) and actions (policies, programs and practices) that are specifically relevant to the psychological health and safety of staff within a healthcare organization or work area. The ORH is completed by a staff person designated by the healthcare organization who is provided with the necessary time, support and access to information.

By choosing to use these tools, you have made strides towards developing a culture of safety, and more specifically, a culture of psychological safety.

Partners

The Mental Health Commission of Canada is a catalyst for change, collaborating with hundreds of partners to change the attitudes of Canadians toward mental health problems and to improve services and support. Its goal is to help people who live with mental health problems and illnesses lead meaningful and productive lives. The Mental Health Commission of Canada is funded by Health Canada.

HealthCareCAN is the national voice of healthcare organizations and hospitals across Canada. We foster informed and continuous, results oriented discovery and innovation across the continuum of healthcare. We act with others to enhance the health of the people of Canada; to build the capability for high quality care; and to help ensure value for money in publicly financed, healthcare programs.

Vancouver Psych Health + Safety was created by psychologists Dr. Merv Gilbert and Dr. Dan Bilsker, who are leading experts in workplace psychological health and safety in Canada. They believe that psychologically healthy and safe organizations are more productive, engaging and resilient. They participate in national initiatives and conferences, publish in peer-reviewed journals, and provide services and customized resources that are cost-effective, easily accessible and solidly based in evidence.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety is Canada's national resource for the advancement of workplace health and safety, and provides credible information, education and innovative solutions to promote the total well-being and to create positive change in the lives of working people in Canada. CCOHS operates, hosts and maintains the Caring for Healthcare Workers resource.