APNA leads initiative to create mentally healthy aged care workplaces

Media Statement - Wednesday 17 September 2025

The Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) will play a leading role in a new WorkSafe initiative to create mentally healthy workplaces in the aged care sector.

WorkSafe’s WorkWell program is dedicated to influencing positive change in psychological health and safety within Victorian workplaces. APNA gratefully acknowledges WorkSafe for funding this initiative.

APNA will lead a consortium of partners to deliver a Community of Practice, utilising a robust quality improvement methodology to improve psychosocial safety climate in 15 residential aged care homes.

Health and social assistance workers account for more than a quarter of all accepted WorkCover claims for mental injury in Victoria over the past five years. This includes 362 mental injury claims from workers in the residential aged care sector alone.

Mia Dhillon, General Manager of the Health Care Solutions unit at APNA, says the scale of the issue is reinforced in the 2024 Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Survey.

"Nurses working in aged care report high levels of stress and burnout, and a third rate their health as fair or poor; significantly higher than those in other primary health care settings."

The program will support workplaces to identify and prevent factors that increase the risk of mental injury, including bullying, workplace violence, sexual harassment, high job demand and fatigue.

"These nurses are on the frontline of care for some of the most vulnerable people in our community. Supporting their mental health at work is essential to ensuring safe, high-quality care for residents," says Mia.

APNA has a wealth of experience in delivering large-scale behaviour change models, thanks to its Nursing in Primary Health Care program and Aged Care Clinical Placements Program.

Learnings from the Communities of Practice will be shared across the sector, helping to shape policies and standards that protect the health and well-being of nurses and other workers in aged care.

For more information about the Communities of Practice, visit WorkWell Communities of Practice | WorkSafe Victoria

About APNA 

The Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) is the peak body and professional membership association for all nurses working outside of a hospital setting in Australia. APNA champions the role of primary health care nurses; to advance professional recognition, ensure workforce sustainability, nurture leadership in health, and optimise the role of nurses in patient-centred care. 

APNA is bold, vibrant, and future-focused. We reflect the views of our membership and the broader profession by bringing together nurses from across Australia to represent, advocate, promote, and celebrate their achievements in primary health care. 

APNA represents a significant and rapidly expanding workforce; primary health care nurses account for around one in eight of the 640,000 registered health professionals in Australia