Across health and aged care, leaders are dealing with a challenge that is becoming harder to ignore. Staff are supporting people with more complex needs, often while managing workforce shortages, higher expectations and the emotional weight of caring for people through illness, frailty, dementia, distress and loss.
While the focus is rightly on the wellbeing of those receiving care, we also need to look closely at the people providing that care. Quality care depends on a workforce that feels supported, confident and able to keep showing up for others.
That emotional load is real and measurable. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) data show that 57.7 per cent of people entering permanent residential aged care have a recorded mental health condition, and almost two in three (62.5 per cent) show at least mild symptoms of depression on entry, with around 16 per cent showing major depressive symptoms.
Among people newly receiving a Home Care Package, 23.1 per cent have a recorded mental health condition. These figures are well above the 9.6 per cent prevalence reported for the general population aged 65 to 85.
In other words, the staff walking into these roles are supporting a group with substantially higher and more complex mental health needs than the wider community, day in and day out.
Recent Australian workforce data shows aged care providers are still facing significant pressure, with turnover, workload and retention continuing to be real challenges.
Over half of residential care staff report elevated burnout, driven by heavy workloads, low pay, staff shortages and emotional strain. A 2026 Monash University analysis of 2024 workforce data found that among aged care workers who wanted to leave the sector, 48 per cent cited burnout, 46 per cent said they felt unsupported, 45 per cent said the work was too stressful, and 43 per cent pointed to low pay.
The analysis notes that while government reforms have helped, they are not moving quickly enough to address a workforce at real risk of psychological injury.
High workloads, emotional exhaustion, workforce shortages and regular exposure to grief and loss all play a part.
For leaders, this matters. Burnout does not only lead to absenteeism or people leaving the sector. It can affect team morale, workplace culture, quality and continuity of care and the way an organisation performs overall.
The question is no longer whether workforce mental health matters. It is what organisations can do, in practical and meaningful ways, to support staff before concerns reach crisis point.
Beyond wellbeing programs
Many organisations have introduced wellbeing initiatives, employee assistance programs and resilience training. These all have a place. But leaders are also looking for practical ways to help staff feel more confident recognising and responding to mental health concerns, whether in the people they support or the colleagues they work alongside.
Mental Health First Aid training is one way to build that confidence.
Hammond Innovations offers a suite of Mental Health First Aid courses designed by Mental Health First Aid Australia to help care teams build practical skills for recognising distress, responding with confidence and supporting people early.
This training gives participants the language, skills and confidence to notice warning signs, start supportive conversations and connect people with appropriate help. In a workplace setting, that can contribute to stronger teams, safer cultures and earlier support for people who may be struggling.
Evidence shows Mental Health First Aid training can improve knowledge, confidence and supportive action across workplaces.
For aged care providers, this is especially relevant. Staff may see signs of distress in older people, families and colleagues, but not always feel sure about what to say or do. Building this capability helps organisations care for the carers, while also strengthening the support available to the people they serve.
This is more than good practice; it is increasingly a compliance expectation. Under the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards, providers must actively support and maintain a satisfied and psychologically safe workforce, with governing bodies expected to prioritise worker safety, health and wellbeing as part of quality and risk governance.
On the care side, providers must also implement processes to actively promote mental health and wellbeing among older people, respond to signs of deterioration, and respond supportively to distress, self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Equipping staff to have these conversations confidently sits squarely inside both obligations.
Confidence changes behaviour
For many participants, the value of the training is not simply the accreditation. It is walking away feeling more prepared to respond when someone needs support.
One attendee who completed a Hammond Innovations Conversations About Suicide workshop recently shared:
“Thank you for the training session you held on conversations about suicide. A few days after that training session I met with a specialised carer who didn’t seem herself. I asked how she was and as the conversation evolved, she made some comments that alluded to self-harm. Because of your training, I knew how to ask her the very direct question of, ‘Are you thinking of killing yourself’. To which she answered yes and we were able to have an open conversation. I knew to ask if she had a plan and chosen a time to carry out her thoughts and was able to escalate to her manager and make sure she was safe. I’m grateful I was able to help a struggling staff member thanks to this training.”
Stories like this show why confidence matters. Staff may notice signs of distress in everyday interactions, but without the right training they may hesitate, worry about saying the wrong thing, or miss the chance to step in early.
Another participant reflected:
“I learnt how to identify warning signs better, how to confidently support someone who is in crisis, keep someone safe and connect the person with the appropriate health professional.”
This kind of early, confident intervention matters for older Australians too. AIHW data on suicide among aged care users shows that, between 2017 and 2022, the average yearly age-standardised suicide rate was 21.5 deaths per 100,000 among people receiving a Home Care Package, and 13.0 deaths per 100,000 among those in permanent residential aged care, compared with 12.9 deaths per 100,000 across the broader Australian population aged 65 and over.
Most aged care users who died by suicide were men, and those receiving a Home Care Package who died by suicide were commonly living alone at the time.
These patterns point to loneliness, isolation and living alone as key risk factors, and underline why staff who visit people at home, or spend time with residents day to day, are so often the ones best placed to notice when something is wrong.
A leadership opportunity
Creating a mentally healthy workforce cannot sit with HR teams or mental health specialists alone. It needs to be part of how leaders think about safety, culture and quality of care.
When organisations invest in mental health capability, they are doing more than meeting expectations. They are helping create workplaces where people feel safer to speak up, seek help earlier and support one another with greater confidence.
As Mental Health First Aid Australia notes, one in five Australians experiences a mental health problem each year, and mentally healthy workplaces contribute to improved wellbeing, stronger engagement, productivity and workforce retention.
As Helen Samphier, Hammond Innovations’ Principal Master Instructor delivering Mental Health First Aid, reflects, “When people understand how to recognise distress and respond safely, they are more likely to step in rather than step back. That can help create a workplace where mental health is talked about earlier, support is offered sooner, and no one feels they have to carry things alone.”
Every organisation relies on its people to deliver safe, compassionate and person-centred care. Supporting workforce mental health is not separate from quality care. It is part of what makes quality care possible.
When staff feel able to recognise distress, begin a supportive conversation and connect someone with help, the benefits reach well beyond one interaction. They can strengthen the workforce, the organisation and the experience of the people receiving care.
Sometimes, one conversation can be enough to change what happens next.
To explore how Mental Health First Aid training could support your workforce, reach out to Hammond Innovations for a conversation about the right training option for your team.
If this article touches on something you or someone you know is going through, Lifeline is available on 13 11 14.
