Anyone watching the BBC drama This Is Going To Hurt will have no doubt: NHS workers were under immense pressure long before the pandemic hit.
From work causing him to miss his own engagement party to facing threats of violence from troubled patients, the show’s protagonist Adam Kay shines a light on some of the challenges NHS staff face. Now COVID-19 has made things even more difficult, in so many ways. A 2021 King’s College study found many hospital staff treating the sickest patients during the first wave of the pandemic were left traumatised by the experience.
Symptoms of severe anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder were some of the key issues cited by the 709 workers interviewed, with nurses the most likely to report feelings of distress.
As these workers go above and beyond to provide patients with the best possible care, it’s vital they get the support they need to look after their own mental health, wellbeing and relationships.
Help for NHS staff members
We want to play our part in making sure this happens. That’s why we’ve partnered with three NHS trusts to make relatehubNHS available to their staff members.
Through relatehubNHS, staff from Cheshire & Merseyside Resilience Hub partners, NHS Trust in the South West, and Sussex Staff in Mind wellbeing support hub can access free 30 minute WebChats or phone calls with a Relationship and Wellbeing Advisor to talk about whatever is on their mind.
The issues they're facing
This isn’t the first time we’ve supported NHS staff members to deal with the emotional impact of the pandemic.
Throughout the last two years, we’ve helped people in all sorts of roles across the NHS with a range of issues, including many that will be familiar to viewers of This Is Going to Hurt such as anxiety, depression, workplace stress, loneliness, balancing work and home commitments and relationship issues.
Spread the word
We want to make sure we help as many people as possible. If you have friends or family working in the NHS in the trusts we are working with, then please share this blog with them. And if you work for a different NHS trust and want to explore providing this service for your own team, please email us at NHS@relate.org.uk.