The Balancing Stress programme was developed by HSE Health and Wellbeing in partnership with HSE Psychology to support mental wellbeing across Ireland. It provides accessible, evidence-informed supports to help people understand and manage stress in their everyday lives. The programme focuses on building awareness, strengthening coping skills, and encouraging small, practical actions that support positive mental health and overall wellbeing.
The SPARK Summit provided an opportunity to showcase the programme to colleagues from across the health service. A key highlight was the project video, which captured the thinking behind Balancing Stress and brought the programme to life for attendees.
As part of the SPARK process, the finished video will be circulated for wider sharing and promotion. It will be shared with HSE communications teams and stakeholders over the coming weeks, helping to showcase and celebrate the innovation taking place across the health service, while also signposting to the programme.
Receiving a Bright Spark Award recognises both the quality of the programme and its contribution to national health and wellbeing priorities. It also supports further awareness and uptake, helping to extend the reach of the programme across communities.
Work is now underway to develop alternative delivery approaches such as a face-to-face version and/or a hybrid option to complement the existing online programme. This next phase supports the continued development of accessible, preventative approaches to mental health, aligned with national priorities to promote wellbeing and early intervention across the population.