Supporting Aboriginal Health Service workers

Project summary Supporting the mental health of health workers at Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in New South Wales during COVID-19 and beyond. What is the issue for NSW? Even under usual circumstances, Health Care Workers in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) work under challenging conditions that increase their risk of mental health issues. ACCHSs have played a lead role in responding to and managing the pandemic in their communities. ACCHS leaders, however, report that COVID-19 has exacerbated the challenges for their health care workers, making them a priority for additional mental health support. This project will describe, for the first time, the mental health needs of a priority group of Health Care Workers and test several easily scalable approaches to better support them. What does the research aim to do and how? The current project will provide the first data to guide support for ACCHS health care workers. It will examine the mental health of ACCHS health workers and how it is impacted by COVID-related changes over 18 months and test the feasibility, acceptability and early indicators of impact of community-nominated interventions to support staff mental health