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THREAD: we need start planning for the recovery of NHS staff right now.
NHS staff are working beyond their limits – have been for weeks and will continue to for weeks. They've been at the limit for a year. What will be the consequences? What can be done?
Please do read. 1/12
NHS staff are working beyond their limits – have been for weeks and will continue to for weeks. They've been at the limit for a year. What will be the consequences? What can be done?
Please do read. 1/12
NHS workers are already at higher risk of mental health problems & suicide than general population. Studies pre- pandemic showed that UK nurses & docs were 2-5 times more likely to take their own lives than the general pop.
https://metro.co.uk/2018/09/03/suicide-rate-rises-in-uk-doctors-and-women-are-more-likely-to-kill-themselves-7907478/
https://www.independentnurse.co.uk/professional-article/the-suicide-crisis-in-nursing/223994/ 2/12
https://metro.co.uk/2018/09/03/suicide-rate-rises-in-uk-doctors-and-women-are-more-likely-to-kill-themselves-7907478/
https://www.independentnurse.co.uk/professional-article/the-suicide-crisis-in-nursing/223994/ 2/12
The British Medical Association did a survey after the 1st covid wave. 45% of ICU staff showed signs of mental ill-health, 40% with signs of PTSD, more than 2x recent combat veterans. 1 in 5 nurses & 1 in 7 docs had thoughts of self-harm or suicide.
https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n108 3/12
https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n108 3/12
In wave 1, hospitals had more than 10K patients for 40 days. So far it’s been 80 days at over 10,000 & we are only just reaching peak (at 34K!). At *best* it will take 50 more days to return to 10K (still v high!). So wave 2 at least 3x long as wave 1 - and more intense. 4/12
The mental and physical health burden is huge. The massive increase in stress, no leave for months, fewer breaks or respite from front line care. So many patients dying. Many staff will have had Covid & some long covid. Many have lost relatives and friends to Covid. 5/12
It is not just coming to terms with what happened during the peak of wave 2, but, for many, the stress of working outside their expertise, away from their team and not being able to provide care to their “usual” patients 6/12
For junior staff, there is the additional stress of missing months of training, falling behind in their exams. Don't underestimate this. There will be pressure to dive back into study (often self-imposed pressure). 7/12
As well as coping with “normal work” and the enormous backlog of care, there will also be extra follow-ups for the up to 10% of people who develop long covid – tens of thousands of new patients to care for. 8/12
We need to plan NOW for how to support NHS staff over the coming months and years. How can we make sure everyone can take the leave they’ve abandoned, to rest and recuperate? How can we provide mental health support? How can we support their wellbeing? 9/12
The existing practitioner health programme for doctors & dentists needs to be extended to ALL NHS staff with access to talking therapies in a way that fits in with shift work. 10/12
The NHS has worked with health & wellness apps to give free access to support to staff during pandemic – this needs to be continued and scaled up for the long term. Mental health needs to be openly discussed by leaders to avoid stigma. 11/12
This isn’t optional. We can’t just “go back to normal”. It’s NOT “clear backlog” OR “help staff”. If we burn out staff, we damage them & their families, we lose valuable expertise from the NHS and we lose compassionate, high quality care. And we owe it to them. 12/12
PS this article in the Guardian makes many of the same points and is worth reading https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jan/20/neil-greenberg-hospitals-must-give-staff-better-psychological-ppe-covid
One more thing: the govt needs to properly fund the NHS now and urgently address the understaffing and staff leaving - particularly nurses. And yes, Brexit has made this much worse. https://www.sueryder.org/news/fears-of-emerging-crisis-in-nursing-40000-nhs-vacancies
