Staff Support Programs
The Ambulance Service provides an employee support system designed to ensure the health and welfare of our workforce. This includes an Employee Assistance Program, peer support and chaplaincy services. The Employee Assistance Program is run under contract to the Ambulance Service by a private organisation and provides free, professional counseling for personal or work related problems for employees and their immediate family.
Problems may include work stress, relationships, health, trauma, alcohol or drug abuse, gambling, financial difficulties, depression, anxiety, legal issues and coping with change.Employees and family members can access phone counseling 24 hours a day from anywhere in Australia, or make an appointment for face to face counseling.
The program also provides managers and staff with assistance in the resolution of workplace issues, including advice on traumatic incidents and arrangements for on-scene support following a traumatic incident.
These programs aim to provide confidential, preventive and proactive intervention for the early detection, identification and resolution of work and personal problems that may affect an employee’s work and well being. Employees are able to refer themselves to any of the programs or can be referred by a manager, work colleague, peers support officer or Ambulance Chaplain.
Peer Support Program
International research has shown peer support to be one of the most effective and successful approaches to the management of traumatic incidents in the emergency services work environment.
Peer Support Officers are employees who are trained to defuse strong emotional reactions experienced by their work colleagues after a traumatic incident which have the potential to interfere with an employee’s ability to function either at the scene or later. Peer Support Officers are frequently the first point of contact for paramedics who may be affected by a traumatic workplace incident and are often the primary source of referrals to the Employee Assistance Program or Ambulance Chaplains.
There are currently 112 peer support officers who volunteer their time to assist and provide support for fellow colleagues.
Chaplaincy Services
Ambulance services throughout the world have traditionally engaged chaplains to provide non-denominational individual counselling, pastoral care and spiritual support to their employees.
Ambulance chaplains also provide support to employees regarding personal issues that may have wide reaching impact, and are also available to patients and their families who may be affected by traumatic incidents. They also undertake memorial and civil services for staff, their families and ambulance patients.
There are currently 20 Ambulance chaplains who volunteer their time for the Ambulance Service. Patients and their families can be referred to a local ambulance chaplain by contacting one of our Administration Offices.
Paramedic counsels a colleague in his role as a Peer
Support Officer