Prioritising hospital staff’s mental well-being.
This is the key focus of the new Wellness Centre at Groote Schuur Hospital.
The facility was officially opened by Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, Western Cape Minister for Health and Wellness, today.
The centre boasts a small gym, yoga studio, meditation room, arts and craft room, massage chair room and training rooms that will offer a variety of interventions, such as leadership training.
The centre will be accessible to more than 4 000 employees at the hospital.
Misha Naik, Mental Health Occupational Therapist who runs the centre, says: “This facility is huge; it’s an indication towards us taking care of our staff. If our staff are well, then they can take care of our patients. Staff members don’t only have to come for counselling, but they can use the yoga, meditation or self-defence classes. So, it’s really exciting.”
- Individual and group counselling and therapy;
- critical skills leadership training of managers and leaders;
- stress, trauma and wellbeing training and workshops; and
- research, monitoring and evaluation.
Mbombo says: “Our staff and their well-being are of utmost importance. Without them, the health system cannot stand. I welcome this initiative by Groote Schuur Hospital in identifying and prioritising the need to have an on-site Wellness Centre for all its staff.”
Mbombo says the centre is particularly important considering the strain health care endured during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic had a negative impact, both socially and psychologically, on the general population and more so on the department’s health care workers. The heavy burden it placed on the staff during this period and the amount of fear it instilled of contracting the virus, transmitting the infection to family members and loss of colleagues, raised a lot of anxiety which will take a while to recover from.”
Sharon Britz, Operational Manager in the general surgery department, says: “This centre means a lot; it shows that our management is looking after us. You can now get away from the hustle and bustle for about half an hour of your day and just come here and forget about everything. It does you a world of good.”
Desiree Slinger, Operational Manager for the hospital’s main theatre, says: “This is amazing. A theatre is an enclosed place; it’s very seldom that you can leave the ward, but this centre is so accommodating because it stays open until 20:00 so you can come here after your shift. I am very happy and will be making use of the services offered here.”
