One in five health and social assistance care workers say they are suffering from work related burnout, updated research funded by Insurance and Care NSW (icare) reveals. 

The largest public sector insurer has been working with the Design for Care consortium, led by Curtin and Sydney universities, to address burn out, exits from the industry, poor job satisfaction, unmanageable workload and poor mental health among workforces across aged care, disability and out of home care. 

Over nine-years to 2021, the NSW health and social assistance industry lost more than 170,000 working weeks to psychological injury. 

Design for Care is one of the projects icare hopes will stem rising claim costs and deliver social benefit. 

The State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) found the healthcare and social assistance industry accounted for $176 million of psychological claims costs in 2021-22.  

The report reveals 37% of workers did not have enough time to do their work, 40% said their jobs were highly emotionally demanding, 22% reported high work-related burnout and 24% said they don’t spend enough time with their family.  

Workers, aged 16 to 24, were more likely to experience higher rates of poor mental health, and permanent full-time employees the highest level of work demands compared to casual workers.  

Over 18 months, 1300 workers were surveyed and 78 were interviewed with 73.8% participants from aged care, 21.7% from disability care, 4.5% are from out-of-home care. Females account for 86% of participants aged, on average, 43.6 years. 

Design for Care researchers have partnered with the industry to understand and address the psychosocial risks that are driving high rates of burnout and mental ill-health in this industry.     

The project is seeing whether a Stimulating, Mastery, Agency, Relational, Tolerable (SMART) work design strategies could improve employee job satisfaction, mental health and wellbeing. 

SMART workplaces ensure there is skill development and variety, involvement in decision making, role clarity, feedback and recognition, peer support and manageable tasks and consistent role expectations. 

Project lead and John Curtin Distinguished Professor Sharon Parker, at the Future of Work Institute, says the report highlights the urgent need to drive innovation with work design tools across the industry in NSW. 

icare Group Executive Mary Maini says the long-term project will give employers new strategies to address rising mental health pressure in the private health care sector. 

“An increasing body of evidence from Design for Care has demonstrated that poor work design is a common factor behind the rising rates of anxiety, burn-out and depression among our healthcare and aged care workers. 

“They’ve supported Australians throughout the covid epidemic, and now deserve our support in return. That’s why icare is looking to pilot innovative work practices that will lower the workplace risks contributing to psychological injury.”