Caring for the practice team

Module 2 – Response | Caring for the practice team

Most people will feel overwhelmed as well as other strong emotions during an emergency. To help your team manage a challenging time, prioritising your team’s physical and psychological safety will help them manage a challenging time and improve your ability to get back on track following the event.

To care for your practice team, you can:

• regularly check in on all team members,
• listen, validate and let them know that they are not alone
• use calm and caring words when communicating with them, in all scenarios
• acknowledge the good work they are doing
• let them know when you can help them with their work, if needed, and
• connect them to external support services [link to mental health section] should they need some extra help.

Remember that many people live within close proximity of their workplace. If your practice has been affected by an event, it is likely that at least some of your team members have been personally affected by the same event or have family and friends that have been affected. These people may require extra support.

It’s also important to ensure your team’s physical safety. Keep your surroundings as neat as possible and ensure that team members wear the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Further information on mental health and support services can be found under ‘Psychological support for self and others’.