‘Help front-liners’
UNION WANTS FREE 24-HOUR HELPLINES FOR NHS STAFF AS COVID-19 WEARS THEM DOWN
HEALTH workers are struggling to cope with the impact of the coronavirus crisis, suffering severe mental health problems such as panic attacks and having sleepless nights, new research suggests.
Unison has called for free 24-hour helplines and other measures to help staff on the front line of the pandemic.
It comes after it emerged earlier this month Derby and Burton hospital staff are being given support for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused by the strain and turmoil of combating the Covid-19 pandemic.
Almost half of 14,000 health employees including nurses, porters, paramedics, healthcare assistants and A&E staff across the UK surveyed by the union said they have struggled to cope.
Helplines were urgently needed to support those experiencing burnout , especially as hospital admissions continue to soar, said Unison.
Some respondents said they have experienced suicidal thoughts, post traumatic stress disorder symptoms and panic attacks, felt helpless when supporting patients – or quit their jobs altogether. Others said their mental health has been affected by having to leave rented accommodation because landlords are worried about Covid-19, or fears they will infect their families, according to the findings.
The results showed that half have sought mental health support, with the majority turning to friends, family and colleagues.
Unison’s head of health Sara Gorton said: “The pressure on staff of keeping us safe during Covid has been relentless.
“Many are exhausted with no let-up in sight given the increase in hospital admissions and backlog of cancelled treatments. Others are traumatised from seeing patients die before their time – no one can comprehend the toll this has taken. Pay rates must rise soon or staff could leave. The Government needs to step in to help the NHS hold on to people. That means supporting their mental health as well as their financial wellbeing.
“To help avoid an exodus, ministers should extend psychological support and guarantee a decent pay increase.”
Earlier this month leaders at the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust said that staff were under “immense pressure”.
At a trust board meeting, Amanda Rawlings, the organisation’s executive director of people and organisational development, said staff were finding it “really difficult” to manage their well-being.
She said intensive care unit staff would be given PTSD advice.
Dr Ian Gell, a non-executive director at the trust, said: “Staff have stepped up to the mark and some are working outside of their areas of comfort.
“Staff are feeling tired and jaded and that does need to be recognised. “The pressures on the staff will be long-term and some staff will take a long, long time to recover from the things they’ve had to do and the things they’ve seen in the current situation.”
Board papers say there is pressure on staff numbers – having enough people to combat the pandemic – as well as on staff wellbeing.
This has been alluded to by hospital leadership in recent weeks, saying significant staff absence forms a key part of the strain on the trust during the current wave of the pandemic.
A core part of the hospital’s response to staff welfare issues during the pandemic are its “wobble rooms” – areas in each hospital where staff can go on their own to regather their thoughts and let all their emotions out, before heading back to work.
Caroline Swan, a senior sister and manager of the intensive care unit at the Royal Derby told the BBC in November: “My staff are very tired and stressed out. We have a lot of sickness either due to burnout or they are unwell. A lot of staff have to self-isolate at home – and that puts a lot of strain on staffing here.”