District’s peer support program reaches key milestone

Sydney Local Health District’s Colleague Care program is celebrating a significant milestone, with 100 staff now trained in how to support employees who may have experienced a distressing event at work. 

Product analyst Sarah Cranney, from the District’s Digital Health and Innovation team, is the 100^th staff member to have completed the program’s peer support training.  

“I feel proud to be included and involved. I’m more than happy to be there as an ear and to provide support to anyone,” she said. 

Under the Colleague Care program, staff can reach out to a peer responder who provides a friendly ear, supports the staff member and links them with other services as needed. 

The conversation is confidential and is not documented. 

Confidentiality may only be broken in the unlikely event that there are serious concerns about staff or patient safety. 

The program is run through the District’s staff health and wellbeing service MyDistrictOK, with all peer responders participating in formal training and invited to join monthly supervision sessions. 

Sarah joined the District in 2001 and worked as a nurse in RPA Emergency for a decade before completing an MBA in Health Management and has since worked in a variety of executive roles. 

“I have a lot of experience from being a Nurse Unit Manager and a senior nurse so people feel confident that they can share their own stories with me or debrief about their day,” she said. 

There is widespread acknowledgement in healthcare literature about the distress that can be experienced by healthcare workers involved in adverse events or unexpected patient outcomes. 

“Programs like Colleague Care which aim to provide peer support have good international evidence and are increasingly common. In our District, the program is one of many ways staff can access support,” said Dr Sarah Michael, the Director of Psychological Wellbeing with the MDOK Program.  

Senior Nurse Educator at Sydney Education Etienne Kitto, helped design the Colleague Care program and delivers the training sessions. 

“When I was a clinician, I was very aware of supporting colleagues in moments of distress. So, I'm glad it’s been formalised now, and we have a very structured solid approach,” he said. 

He’s provided support for nine colleagues. 

“What I try to do is provide a safe space for people to talk. They have an opportunity to speak freely about uncertainty and to explore their situation with someone who has had lived experience,” he said. 

If you would like to learn more or access peer support now, please visit Colleague Care or email SLHD-MDOK@health.nsw.gov.au