The 2019–2020 Australian bushfires followed by the COVID-19 pandemic brought the significant mental health implications of working in healthcare to the fore. The importance of appropriate support services to ensure the resilience and recovery of healthcare workers has been highlighted. In response to healthcare staff experiences during the bushfires, the SEED Wellness Program was created in 2020 in the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District in New South Wales, Australia. SEED used a participant-led design to engage healthcare staff in workplace-based restorative activities. Guided by practice theory, this study aimed to identify and describe SEED wellness practices that supported healthcare staff. Thirty-three healthcare workers participated in focus groups or individual interviews between June 2021 and March 2022. The analysis involved inductive thematic individual and collective exploration of SEED practices, including co-analysis with participants. Eight core practices that supported participants’ wellbeing were identified, including responsive and compassionate leading, engaging staff at every stage of the recovery process, creating a sense of connection with others, and collective caring. The study found that workplace wellness initiatives are optimised when they are place-based and grounded in local knowledge, needs, and resources incorporating a collective and supportive team approach. Moreover, to ensure engagement in, and sustainability of these initiatives, both bottom-up and top-down commitment is required.

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This paper aims to share a program that took a whole-hospital approach in considering the wellbeing of staff at a time of recovery following the 2019–2020 bushfires. The SEED Program enlisted a person-centred participatory methodology that was embedded within a transformational learning approach. This methodology included collaboration, authentic participation, critical reflection, critical dialogue and listening where the staff voice was the driving factor in the development of strategies for recovery. The SEED Program resulted in the development of five initiatives that included four strategies and a celebration event where staff celebrated their New Year’s Eve in February 2020. The four strategies included the establishment of a quiet room, coffee buddies, Wellness Warriors and 24/7 Wellness. The outcomes from the SEED Program resulted in the development of a more person-centred culture and transformation of staff perspectives in how they understood their role in their learning and learning of others in recovery and support at a time of crisis. The key learnings were the effect of authentic collaboration, the benefit from enabling authentic leadership at all levels within a hospital, and the power of a staff connection to the ‘CORE’ values of the hospital and Local Health District. In conclusion, the staff involved hold the hope that others may benefit from their experience of transformational learning in creating more person-centred workplace cultures while supporting each other to move forward during a crisis. The limitation of the SEED Program was that it was a bespoke practice innovation designed in the moment, responding to an identified need for the staff following a crisis in the local community rather than a formal research approach to meeting the needs of this group of staff.

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Aim To implement and evaluate a co‐designed staff well‐being programme. Background Working in health care can be physically and psychologically demanding. The job demands–resources model indicates job resources moderate the impact of job demands on staff well‐being. Well‐being initiatives introduced by organisations improve staff commitment, and reduce absences and incidents. Methods A qualitative descriptive design was applied. In 2019, within an Australian local health district, 232 health care professionals across eight hospitals and two community settings attended a six‐week well‐being programme, which included a variety of self‐care strategies, for example mindfulness. Nine 1‐hr focus groups were completed 2–4 weeks post‐programme. Data were analysed using thematic analysis to explore participants’ thoughts and experiences. Results Participants experienced joy from workshops and guilt for leaving peers with their workload. Participants developed strong interpersonal relationships with workshop attendees within a ‘safe well‐being space’. Broader impacts expressed by participants were; learnt coping mechanisms and proactive self‐care practices and can be easily embedded into daily routines. Participants shared their ‘toolkit’ with colleagues, family and friends, positively impacting the well‐being of people around them. Conclusion Participants encouraged by their new well‐being ‘toolkit’ engaged with colleagues, better managed stressors and shared learnings. Implications for Nursing Management Building well‐being capability within a health organisation requires nursing management to make staff well‐being a strategic priority, use a co‐design approach and embed coping mechanisms at the grassroots levels.