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Nursing Times is launching a new campaign – Covid-19: Are you OK? – to highlight the mental health pressures and needs of nurses during and after the coronavirus pandemic.
Concerns around lack of equipment, heightened staff shortages, coping with deployment, the risks posed to staff themselves and their friends and families and the death of colleagues will all take their toll, as will the lockdown while not at work and a range of other factors.
Once the outbreak peak has flattened and in time Covid-19 has gone away, the question remains how will life get back to normal, if entirely ever, at both work and at home.
Will staff be supported in the long term, with post-traumatic stress disorder a potential factor?
Nursing Times thinks these are all issues that need to be raised at the highest level as well as individually by trusts and other health and social care providers.
While there has been talk of ‘Blitz spirit’ and resilience in the face of the situation facing us, awareness of mental health has come a long way since the 1940s and particularly in recent years.
We plan to lobby for both short- and long-term support, with the aid of charities and politicians, and to work with organisations to highlight the existing help on offer.
NHS England has made a positive start today by announcing a mental health hotline as part of a promised package of measures to support the NHS’ 1.4 million staff as they help people deal with the coronavirus.
In addition, the current crisis represents an opportunity to shine a bright light on the long-neglected area of nurse’ mental health and wellbeing, which we believe should be a positive legacy.
Let us not forget, this pandemic affects nurses working in every setting in some way, from critical care to community nursing to care homes.
To get things started, we will shortly be launching a survey to gain your insight into how the current situation is affecting you, as well as your views on the support you need now and in future.
Please look out for further details on taking part. Coming soon – we will also be creating a special section of the Nursing Times website, with news, opinion, helpful information and ways to support the campaign.
You can also find out the latest on the campaign using social media via the hashtag #AreYouOK
Covid-19: Are You OK?
Explore this section of Nursing Times for information and the latest news, opinion and more on our campaign Covid-19: Are You OK? We are campaigning to highlight the mental health pressures and needs of nurses during and after the coronavirus pandemic
It’s not just nurses, its important to recognize the parts that everyone in a key worker role plays. I am currently working as agency nurse and have witnessed 4 deaths in one care home. The effect of the whole staff team was immensely heartbreaking. I really felt for them, where is the support for care home staff?
My comment is in response to the following quote “We plan to lobby for both short- and long-term support, with the aid of charities and politicians, and to work with organisations to highlight the existing help on offer.”. How are you seeking out that existing help? I’m a retired nurse, and was on the frontline for SARS and it was the end of my career as a nurse on the frontline. I’m now a health consultant with a powerful and innovative program, The ProMind Experience, that specifically serves frontline staff but hospitals “aren’t entertaining contracts for personal development, coaching or crisis management”. How is that even possible? Hospital HR/Admin are just saying “it’s COVID-19, that’s why we’re not entertaining vendors!!!!!” yet this is a program to address the very issues we need to address! Can my program be of help to England? Lynn