Summary of Recommendations*

Section 1: Building Capacity

Recommendation 1    Each psychiatric hospital designate a regulated health professional to serve employee mental health   

Recommendation 2    Each psychiatric hospital designate an occupational health and safety lead for workplace trauma      

Recommendation 3    Psychiatric hospitals optimize their participation in inter-ministerial and stakeholder collaborations to build their capacity to find and enact solutions to workplace PTSD         

Section 2: Pre-Trauma Stage    

Recommendation 4    Psychiatric hospitals engage in primary prevention to reduce staff’s exposure to critical events             

Recommendation 5    Psychiatric hospitals increase staff’s ability to prevent and safely respond to workplace critical events 

Recommendation 6    Psychiatric hospitals increase staff education and support regarding workplace characteristics       

Recommendation 7   Psychiatric hospital leaders and staff collaborate to improve organizational     culture regarding workplace mental health and to reduce stigma  

Recommendation 8    Psychiatric hospitals create a psychologically healthy workplace for all staff with   an emphasis on workplace trauma prevention             

Section 3: Peri-Trauma Stage   

Recommendation 9    Psychiatric hospitals implement critical event operational debriefing methods that are based on the best available outcome research            

Recommendation 10   Psychiatric hospitals ensure that trauma-prevention services are offered to all staff who witness, respond to, or are exposed to the details of a critical event             

Section 4: Post-Trauma Stage   

Recommendation 11   Psychiatric hospitals provide trauma-informed support for staff exposed to   critical events, including during the return-to-work process

Recommendation 12   Psychiatric hospitals work with unions and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) to create a user-friendly, transparent, and consistent process for WSIB claims.    

*Excerpt from Final Report to Funder. For the full version of recommendations please click here

12 Recommendations for Psychiatric Hospitals