Bendigo Health staff don colourful socks to recognise #CrazySocks4Docs day

"CrazySocks4Docs day is an initiative created to raise awareness for the mental health of all doctors and health practitioners, globally," Dr Marslen said.

"The aim is to address the stigma surrounding mental health and to normalize the conversations about mental wellbeing and create a safe space for people to seek help."

Bendigo Health staff health and wellbeing coordinator Lisa Rashleigh said the day was particularly needed after a tough few years under the pandemic.

"It's recognizing our doctors who have been through quite a stressful or traumatic couple of years," Ms Rashleigh said.

"Their roles generally are a bit that way anyway, but add the pandemic to that and it's at another level.

"We are recognising our doctors with this, but we're also acknowledging that all of our staff in clinical and non-clinical roles should take a mental health moment today and just check in with themselves."

In the last six months particularly, Ms Rashleigh said the hospital had invested a lot of time and resources into providing support systems for staff.

"Obviously, when the pandemic hit, we were focused on providing meals to staff, in particular doctors," she said.

"Those staff doing double shifts had access to meals and we worked with a lot of great local suppliers to do that.

"We have also just come out of our mental wellness May, where we ran a lot of mindfulness sessions and sound therapy sessions."

The hospital's employment action plan also offers free counselling services to all staff and during the pandemic this service was made available to staff members' families.

When staff were in isolation the hospital also had a system of delivering basics like bread and milk, or offering hotel accommodation who could not isolate at home.

"We did lots of practical stuff and now we move into more the recovery and wellbeing phase," Ms Rashleigh said.

Medical health practitioners were offered custom cookies and neck massages on Friday to celebrate their service and show the hospital's appreciation.

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Dr Marslen said days like #CrazySocks4Docs are important because doctor wellbeing is intimately connected to the quality of health care that is delivered to patients.

"Having mentally and physically fit and well doctors is so crucial to delivering healthcare to our local community," Dr Marslen said.

"It's so important that we are all aware of how our culture can impact patient safety and care.

"I think doctors seeking help about their own well being and mental health is definitely stigmatized and this day aims to try and normalize that conversation."

Dr Marslen said it is important to carry this mindfulness forward and to make health a priority every day of the year, whether that's through a conversation, checking in with colleagues or catching up for a coffee.

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