Antares Foundation in cooperation with KRCT in Kosovo
An integrated psycho-social capacity building programme for PHC
professionals, including the development of staff well-being policy paper.
(2010-2020).

Background
Staff well-being including stress awareness and stress management skills is usually not a priority in (mental) health policies. In Kosovo, after the war, the level of stress amongst primary health care (PHC) professionals was high because health professionals were part of the population seriously affected by conflict. The need to support staff and look after their well-being was recognised by the Director of the Centre for Development of Family Medicine, Head of Primary Care. In response, the Antares Foundation and the Kosovo Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (KRCT), in close cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, implemented an integrated psycho-social capacity building programme for PHC professionals.

As a major result, staff well-being was integrated into the PHC system in Kosovo. This was accomplished through raising awareness on staff well-being and stress management as well as strengthening knowledge of and skills in stress management. Eighteen national PHC staff were trained as trainers and more than a thousand family doctors and nurses attended stress management workshops. A steering committee consisting of key stakeholders, successfully advocated for integration of staff well-being and stress management in the revised mental health strategy 2014-2020. A staff well-being policy was endorsed by the Ministry of Health of Kosovo. The curriculum developed for the training was integrated in the professional staff development programme for family doctors and nurses.

Conclusions
Evaluation findings showed that offering structured support, entailing the opportunity to discuss work related problems and providing tools to deal with stress related to work or personal life, helps staff to continue their professional tasks under challenging conditions. This integrated approach may be of interest to policy makers involved in health
reform processes and for managers implementing changes in complicated post conflict contexts. For both groups, acknowledgment of staff well-being could be a key ingredient in the motivation of staff and the quality of services. The policy document developed in Kosovo, was and still is being used by Antares as a basis and example for NGOs and health institutes, working in (post) conflict settings.