Mental Health Nurses at Risk of Poor Mental Health

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Tasmanian Branch (ANMF) is incredibly disappointed but not surprised by the results of the Statewide Mental Health Services (SMHS) resilience scan. Following scan results being released to all members across the State, which clearly shows that mental health nurses are burnt out, members are continuing to battle with challenging workloads and poor communication. 

The ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary Emily Shepherd says, “the results support what members have been telling us and outlines the issues we have been advocating for our members on – like unsafe clinical environments with aggressive patients and poor staffing levels where members have felt completely unsupported and the ANMF has had to advocate just for basic safety measures for members”. 

The ANMF welcomes the transparency and the commitment to do better by the Department of Health and the Minister for Health along with the recent changes to senior management positions within Mental Health Services in order to address these significant issues for members and mental health clients alike. 

“Following consultation with the Department after the release of the report, the ANMF understands that a wellbeing program has been suggested as another strategy to immediately provide support to staff. The ANMF is in agreeance of a peer support model in Mental Health Services and indeed across the health sector to provide much needed help to nurses working with those with mental illness and yet are suffering themselves,” Ms Shepherd says. 

The ANMF will continue to support members across mental health services and continue to advocate on their behalf to see systemic changes implemented that address the cultural, safety and staffing concerns of members, which have been an ongoing concern for members in Mental Health Services for some time. 

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Media contact:
Emily Shepherd,
ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary
Mobile: 0400 884 021
Email: Emily.Shepherd@anmftas.org.au