HN Summary
•Safer, Compassionate Care: SHN launched Safewards to create inpatient mental health units that are safer, more collaborative, and grounded in empathy.
•Staff and Patient Engagement: Over 80% of staff completed immersive training and implemented interventions like Mutual Expectations, Messages of Hope, and Comfort Methods to enhance the patient experience.
•Culture Shift: The program emphasizes mindset change, patient-family resources, and ongoing phases to strengthen community, trust, and healing within SHN’s mental health units.
In the halls of Scarborough Health Network’s (SHN) mental health units, a quiet but powerful transformation is taking place – not with fanfare, but with purpose. It’s a change you can feel in the way people speak, the way they listen, the way they connect.
This spring, SHN took a bold step forward in mental health care, launching the first phase of Safewards, an internationally recognized model designed to make inpatient environments safer, more compassionate, and more collaborative. But Safewards is more than a program. It’s a shift in mindset – a reimagining of what healing can look like.
A vision of what could be
Picture a hospital where staff and patients don’t just coexist – they work together. Where understanding replaces assumptions, and trust is something built intentionally, not by chance. That’s the promise of Safewards.
Born from global research and years of real-world testing, Safewards is grounded in simple yet powerful interventions. These tools aim to reduce conflict, increase mutual respect, and – most of all – instill hope.
Because when people feel safe and heard, healing isn’t just possible – it becomes expected.
Bringing Safewards to life at SHN
From May through June, energy buzzed through SHN’s Centenary and Birchmount adult, and child and adolescent inpatient units. Over 80% of staff joined in immersive training sessions, not just to learn the tools of Safewards – but to live them.
These weren’t ordinary workshops. They were co-led by a team of leaders and frontline “Safewards Champions,” passionate individuals who turned training into connection, and theory into action.
What emerged was a renewed sense of purpose. Many staff members called the experience ‘highly-relevant’, ‘energizing’ and ‘transformational.’ They didn’t just walk away with strategies – they walked away with a mission: to help reshape the patient experience from the inside out.
Phase 1: Small actions, big impact
The first chapter of Safewards at SHN introduced three key interventions that are already making an impact:
Mutual Expectations: Staff and patients have expectations and conflicts can arise due to a disagreement, misunderstanding, or miscommunication. SHN’s Mental Health and Addictions program collaborates with patients and staff to create a visible poster that lists these expectations, ensuring they apply to both groups.
Messages of Hope: Upon discharge, transfer, or transition from a unit, patients are asked if they would like to leave a message of hope for current or future patients. These messages are displayed in a visible location on the unit and can be viewed at any time by a patient when they are in need of comfort and hope.
Comfort Methods: Includes three components –
1. Effective use of Comfort Plans
2. Have Comfort Items available and noted in each patient’s care plan (e.g. puzzles, colouring books, music)
3. Enhance Peaceful Spaces on the unit
To support all of this, SHN also unveiled its first Patient and Family Guide for mental health inpatients – a clear, compassionate resource designed to help people and their loved ones navigate the hospital experience with dignity and confidence.
Leading with heart
For SHN’s leadership, the launch of Safewards is about more than process – it’s about people.
“The incredible work done to date by everyone involved puts us in a strong position as we look to transform the healthcare experience for our patients,” said Sari Greenwood, Director, Mental Health & Addictions, Oncology and Palliative Care. “I am so proud of our teams for embracing this initiative with such heart and dedication. Their commitment to creating safer, more compassionate spaces is nothing short of inspiring.”
“It’s amazing to see the great feedback provided by staff and how the concepts resonated with them and felt relevant,” added Dr. Ilan Fischler, Chief of Psychiatry and Medical Director, Mental Health & Addictions Programs. “This initiative is about more than just training – it’s about culture change, and our teams are leading that change with passion and purpose. Congratulations everyone and thank you for making this vision a reality.”
What’s next: Building on momentum
With Phase 1 now fully implemented, SHN is looking ahead. This fall, Phase 2 will expand Safewards with new interventions and deeper training – further strengthening the sense of community, safety, and collaboration on SHN’s mental health units.
Because when people come together around a shared vision of care – one built on empathy, understanding, and hope – transformation doesn’t just happen. It becomes inevitable.
