If you are in distress, you can call or text 988 at any time. If it is an emergency, call 9-1-1 or go to your local emergency department.

Declaration of Commitment to Psychological Health and Safety in Healthcare

Join the movement – be a health leader

The By Health for Health Collaborative of Canada, led in partnership with the Mental Health Commission of Canada and HealthCareCAN, has a vision for healthcare workplaces to be leaders and role models in providing psychologically healthy and safe work environments for all Canadians.

Join us in working towards this vision and sign the Declaration of Commitment to Psychological Health and Safety in Healthcare (Declaration); a commitment to advancing the protection and promotion of mental health in the workplace and in alignment with the principles of the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (the Standard).  In the context of this Declaration, the term “staff” is used to refer to all employees, physicians, learners, contractors and volunteers that work within a health organization.

While the Standard is applicable to all industries, it has a unique role within healthcare. Staff working in the healthcare sector are more likely to miss work due to illness or disability than people in all other sectors. They also face higher rates of burnout, compassion fatigue and sleep deprivation that can impact their psychological health and safety as well as the safety of their patients. Championed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), and developed by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group) and the Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ), the Standard is a voluntary set of guidelines, tools and resources focused on promoting staff psychological health and preventing psychological harm due to workplace factors. HealthCareCAN – the national voice of Canada’s hospitals and health care organizations – has a position statement strongly encouraging members and all health system stakeholder to adopt the Standard.

A psychologically healthy and safe workplace:

  • Promotes positive culture and staff well-being
  • Prevents stigma and discrimination
  • Contributes to a productive and positive working environment

Better healthcare can be achieved when workplaces delivering care are healthy and safe, translating into improved morale, improved staff and patient satisfaction as well as reduced costs and reduced medical errors. 

Why sign on?

Watch this video to learn the importance of psychological health and safety in healthcare organizations and why your organization should sign the Declaration.

The Declaration of Commitment to Psychological Health and Safety in Healthcare is a public commitment from health organizations to show that they value the psychological health and safety of their staff and commit to taking action to improving their work environments.

Signatories will be publicly displayed on the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s website with a link to their organization’s page.  They will also be displayed publicly on HealthCareCAN’s website. They will also receive a printable certificate and be permitted to publicly display the logo of the Declaration on their website.

The Commitment

As signatories of the Declaration of Commitment to Psychological Health and Safety in Healthcare, we demonstrate our commitment to: 

  • Take action in alignment with the principles of the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace;
  • Recognize the value of our staff’s psychological health and safety and its interdependence with patient safety; and that creating a psychologically safe work environment benefits both patients and staff;
  • Cultivate a workplace culture that respects our staff’s needs including, but not limited to, their psychological health and safety; and,
  • Be leaders and champions for advancing workplace psychological health and safety.

Sign the Declaration of Commitment to Psychological Health and Safety in Healthcare

View all signatories