Official name:
REACH: Research to Enhance Aged Care worker Health and wellbeing

Known as:
Improving the wellbeing of the aged care workforce

About the research:
Australia has a strong consensus that the aged care system is flawed and that its workforce is in crisis. The nature of the work – with its high demands, caring for people with complex needs, low support, and poor remuneration – contributes to a high turnover of staff. The research team, led by Professor Karen Walker-Bone and Professor Helen Rawson, is prioritising direct consultation with this workforce to develop co-designed interventions to increase health and wellbeing at work.

Their consultative approach has four stages:

• Stage 1: Understanding what matters to staff for wellbeing
  International scoping review of evidence for wellbeing interventions for aged care workers.
  In-depth interviews with senior managers, direct care and support workers to understand key drivers of their wellbeing at work.
• Stage 2: How do providers currently address the problem?
  National survey of residential and home care workers’ wellbeing and their views on effectiveness of current wellbeing initiatives.
• Stage 3: Co-designing interventions.
  Drawing on this data, co-designed workshops with aged care providers, staff, and consumers will develop practical, evidence-based interventions for aged care providers.
• Stage 4: Testing.
  Testing these co-designed interventions will provide crucial data informing future improvement and implementation.

Project timing: 04/09/2023 – 31/08/2026