Emotional safety in the workplace: one hospice's response for effective support

Emotional support is important for health professionals working in the demanding area of hospice/palliative care. While physical safety practices and effective human resource support are generally available to staff, one New Zealand hospice has taken this a step further by developing an emotional safety policy that incorporates personal, professional, and organizational measures designed to protect and promote staff members' emotional safety and to minimize stress and fatigue. The aim of this paper is to provide the background and rationale for this work, to introduce a case study around best practice, and to describe the development of the emotional safety policy, which provides effective support for all staff working at the hospice.