Putting our BeST foot forward for safety
The first phase of a major new plan to ensure our health sites are respectful and physically and psychologically safe, began this year – bringing immediate benefits, with more initiatives on the way.
A Behaviour Support Team (BeST) began work at Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) in May to help with challenging patients and is planned to expand to other sites.
The team is part of a broader Managing Aggression Proactively project under our overarching safety and wellbeing blueprint, CaREPlan, which was also launched this year.
An 8-member, multidisciplinary team, BeST helped with 299 patients from its inception on May 7 to June 30, with a total of 976 patient and staff interventions logged. Patients seen by the team typically have 2 to 3 risk factors for aggression and 3 to 4 behaviours of concern.
The team provides support and coaching for staff, works with patients and their carers, helps with referrals to specialist services and connects with community care teams to better understand each patient’s needs.
By doing this, the team seeks to manage any issues before they can develop.
Other CaREPlan initiatives are set to be launched in 2025-26, including:
- Wellbeing Index – a tool for EMHS staff to monitor and support their own wellbeing.
- Speak Up, Listen Up – a structured approach for respectful, clear, and safe communication for patient safety.
- I CaRE program – a focus on compassionate, accountable, respectful, and empathetic interactions among our workforce.
Our ultimate goal is to enhance staff wellbeing across all levels of the organisation, foster a workplace that is psychologically and physically safer and empower staff to confidently speak up in support of patient and colleague safety.
