Joyful Workplace: Recharge To Better Care For Yourself And Others

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Thinking of where you could go for a rest or a short break after your shift in the ward? Yes! There’s a newly revamped resting area for you to recharge now! 

Ward 56, Short Stay Unit (SSU) and Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU) clinched the Joyful Workplace Award which funded various enhancements of the staff facilities. The Award was part of the SingHealth Staff Care Centre initiative, that encourages and supports staff’s suggestions in promoting mental or environmental wellness among staff.

Three facilities were transformed in December 2021. Let us check out how our colleagues feel about the facilities!

Ward 56 – Staff Respite Room

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What used to be a staff locker corner at Ward 56 (left) has now been converted to a conducive staff respite room (right).

The walls of the new staff respite room were given a fresh coat of paint, with two recliner sofa chairs set up for staff to rest. To enhance staff privacy and to create a restful environment, thoughtful items such as curtains and night lightings were installed as well.

Enrolled Nurse Sarashvathi D/O Munisamy, Ward 56, enjoyed the new room tremendously, “It’s great! We can take the chance to rest during breaks, especially when we have a 12-hour shift. With a quick rest, we feel relaxed and recharged, giving us the needed boost to better care for our patients.”

SSU – Outdoor Rest Area   

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The previously empty balcony space (left) outside the SSU’s staff pantry now looks completely different (right), welcoming staff to take breaks and catch a breath of fresh air.

Staff Nurse Tobias Myla Cabarle, SSU, has been eager to try the new outdoor rest area. The place is now equipped with a dining table and bench set, a parasol and a wall fan. There is also a nice touch of added privacy from the public with a new frosted sticker on the glass panels facing the public corridor.

“As front liners, we do deal with stressful situations from time to time. The new rest area is a sanctuary for us to take a breather and refocus which I feel is important for our well-being,” explained SN Tobias.

CTICU – Enhanced Staff Rest Space

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The tables and chairs in the staff pantry at CTICU were rearranged, with part of the pantry now cordoned off as a private area for staff rest.

Similar to Ward 56, CTICU’s pantry was also given a fresh coat of paint, with two recliner sofa chairs and privacy curtains being added. Senior Staff Nurse Stefanie Shuek has been making use of the new facilities to rest and rejuvenate during and after her shifts. She shared, “I love that we can now have ample rest with the recliner sofa. It is much more comfortable compared to a regular couch where we can only rest upright. I believe that good, quality rest is essential for us to remain sharp during our shifts so that we can deliver the best care to our patients.”

Importance of Self-care
These enhancements help to boost the mental and physical health of our staff and encourage self-care. “Since the pandemic started, our nurses sometimes face long working hours and would feel tired. Staff well-being has always been one of our priorities hence we embraced the initiatives, and took the opportunity to propose and remodel parts of our wards to let our staff have better quality of rest,” explained Assistant Director or Nursing, Chua Lee Kheng, from Nursing Development Unit who was part of the team overseeing the above projects.

Staff can now look forward to more new ‘rest areas’ as Ward 44A, Ward 44B, Ward 47B and Ward 44 – Coronary Care Unit (CCU) have recently been awarded with the Joyful Workplace Awards as well. These staff enhancements are expected to complete by end June 2022.