Description
A step-by-step guide to designing cultures, systems and processes that create and sustain psychosocial safety and resilience for organisations, teams and individuals.
Enhancing Psychosocial Safety in Health and Social Care takes an ecological approach to psychosocial safety and resilience, helping health and social care organisations create the conditions for people to thrive while supporting healthier workplaces and high-quality, compassionate care.
At the heart of the book is an ecological framework for psychosocial safety and resilience, organised around five Strategic Pillars:
- Secure Foundation
- Recognition and Respect
- Knowledge Sharing and Skill Building
- Core Purpose and Vision
- Positive Wellbeing Climate
Together, these pillars provide a practical framework for identifying what needs to change and making meaningful, sustainable improvements. Each pillar explores evidence-informed strategies and practical approaches, including compassionate leadership, trust and belonging, recognition, inclusion, learning, shared purpose and workplace wellbeing.
Throughout the book, you’ll find practical tools, real-world examples, tips and techniques, and reflective activities to help you consider what is working well, where change is needed and what could work in your own organisational context.
The final chapter brings these ideas together, helping readers turn insights into action and sustain improvements in psychosocial safety and resilience over time.
Author
Gail Kinman is Professor of Occupational Health Psychology at Birkbeck, University of London. Her interests centre on improving the wellbeing and working conditions of those who do emotionally demanding work, such as health and social care professionals and prison officers. She also researches work-life balance and healthy remote work. She has published numerous research papers, reports and book chapters.
Louise Grant is Research Lead at Tavistock Education and Training, where she leads the Professional Doctorate in Social Work and Social Care. She is a registered social worker with a long career in practice, leadership and higher education. Her work focuses on the importance of creating conditions that enable health and social care workers to thrive while undertaking complex emotional work.
Audience
The book is aimed at managers, policymakers & leaders within health and social care organisations in the UK and around the world; it will also be valuable reading for human resource professionals, training and development professionals, wellbeing leads and occupational health practitioners working in these sectors.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Secure Foundation – Ensuring Safety and Security
3. Recognition and Respect – Valuing Individual Contributions
4. Knowledge Sharing and Skill building – Supporting Professional Development
5. Core Purpose and Vision – Supporting a Shared Sense of Direction
6. Positive Wellbeing Climate – Supporting a Resilient Workforce
7. Sustaining Psychological Safety and Resilience in Health and Social Care
Details
Publisher: Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd
ISBN: 9781803885629
Publication Date: November 2026
Pages: 240
Professor Sir Cary Cooper, CBE, University of Manchester and Chair of the National Forum for Health & Wellbeing at Work –
This is a really important book for the health and social care sector, suffering enormous levels of stress and burnout, as they cope with massive overload, longer working and unsocial hours with minimal pay. This comprehensively explores how health and social care providers should create a meaningful wellbeing culture. It is a MUST READ for all those responsible for the health and wellbeing in this very important sector for all of us!
Dr Steven Boorman CBE, Work and Health Specialist –
Health promoting and supporting workplaces rarely happen by accident. Creating conditions in which workers thrive is good for individuals, for the businesses they work in and for society as a whole – a true “win, win, win”. This publication from an author with substantial experience helps provide practical advice and guidance, with tools and a framework to make it happen. In today’s world, leaving to chance is foolhardy and real examples help to show the measurable benefits that can be simply achieved.