Northern Health partners with Black Dog Institute

Northern Health has partnered with the Black Dog Institute as part of the health service’s commitment to prioritising staff wellbeing.

The Black Dog Institute has a focus on normalising conversations around mental health, and striving to make Australian workplaces mentally healthier. The institute is also well versed in understanding the relationship between mental health and work, and designs programs that assist businesses to implement workplace policies and procedures to support staff wellbeing.

Renee Camilleri, Wellbeing Partner at Northern Health, said connecting with a leading and reputable mental health organisation was a key piece of the wellbeing puzzle.

“Being aligned with these progressive and well-researched programs tells our community that Northern Health is working continually to have a psychologically safe environment for staff. Having a mentally healthy workforce also ensures the best quality of patient care,” she said.

The partnership will include training, presentation and deliverables, including access for all staff to innovative mental health e-learning modules. They will also have access to a presentation by a Black Dog Institute accredited lived-experience speaker with a healthcare worker background, where employees will learn about the prevalence of mental health and how to access supports both internal to the workplace and external.

Practically focused interactive workshops will also be available for managers and leaders across Northern Health. These workshops will focus on harnessing current skills to have more effective conversations around stress, mental health and wellbeing, as well as recognising and becoming more aware of signs and symptoms within themselves, and in their colleagues.

In the coming weeks, leaders across our health service will be invited to participate in an education workshop about mental health wellbeing. This workshop will cover how to spot the early signs of mental health issues and how to keep yourself and your colleagues well at work.

Northern Health is committed to building a positive and inclusive workplace culture where everyone feels safe and supported to talk about mental health, reach out for support early and, by doing so, improve their recovery.