HEALTH AND WELLBEING FEATURE
The resources were co-developed by the therapy team and shared through conversations and open discussions .
Occupational therapists are uniquely placed to provide this support using mental and physical health knowledge and skills learned during training . Within our trust , we have occupational therapists employed across mostly physical health as part of their clinical roles .
The first meetings were anxiety-provoking for all involved . It was a new style of meeting for everyone . Many of the occupational therapists had significant experience within acute medical services ; however , facilitating this type of group was a new experience within this clinical setting .
We were in a room with people who were uncertain about attending , who were experiencing concerns about their wellbeing . For all the therapy volunteers , there was an aspect of ‘ imposter syndrome ’, questioning if we had the skills to support staff wellbeing . Being able to meet and reflect as a volunteer group on these challenges enabled the continuation of the groups . We supported each other by having more than one of us in attendance to support facilitation , particularly in the early months of the groups starting .
As procedures changed in hospital , due to changes in government guidance , we had to accommodate and support therapy staff that had been newly identified as being high risk for ‘ patient facing ’ clinical roles .
These staff were based within the hospital , but had designated offices and completed their work virtually . We created a wellbeing group for this cohort of therapy staff that was delivered online , using the platform Microsoft Teams .
Over time , we noticed an increase in staff working from home . We therefore introduced a ‘ coffee club ’ to support our colleagues to stay connected to their teams , share what was going on within the hospital and provide a safe space to share feelings and emotions . This group formed a foundation for supporting graded return to clinical patient-facing practice for our colleagues .
At the peak of the wellbeing input , the team was providing a range of groups , one-to-one appointments , and resources . We placed signposting to other psychological support within all changing areas and around the therapy department , as well as storing psychological resources to a shared computer folder for staff to access directly .
These resources included suggestions for supporting our families as well as ourselves . They also incorporated the use of the trust ’ s newly-developed ‘ traffic light cards ’ to identify how we felt about being in work within our roles .
This provided an opportunity to explore what feeling was connected to a certain colour , and a space to explore strategies for improving this , and maintaining wellbeing .
Our NHS trust and external providers offered a range of services that could be accessed by NHS healthcare workers . Our service complemented this provision and meant that we could focus and tailor our approach to the needs of our team , knowing that individuals could be signposted to additional services if necessary .
De Kock et al ( 2021 ) undertook a rapid review of the literature to identify the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and social care workers , including risk and protective factors . Searches were carried out on 23 April and 6 May 2020 , and 677 records of interest were identified . Following de-duplication and screening , 24 met the eligibility criteria . Findings included studies were predominantly from China and most involved hospital staff , with no studies focussed on the primary or social care workforce . The review indicates COVID-19
EVIDENCE LINK has a considerable impact on the psychological wellbeing of frontline workers . The authors suggest a holistic approach to psychological wellbeing is needed , which includes personalised interventions alongside necessary structural changes .
Reference De Kock JH , Latham HA , Leslie SJ , Grindle M , Munoz S-A , Ellis L … O ’ Malley CM ( 2021 ) A rapid review of the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of healthcare workers : implications for supporting psychological well-being . BMC Public Health , 21 : 104 , 1 – 18 . doi : 10.1186 / s12889-020-10070-3
The trust developed its own wellbeing telephone line for staff , as well as providing interventions such as Trauma Risk Management ( TRiM ) interventions .
Forty-seven of the therapy staff completed our online survey and reported that they had attended a wellbeing intervention at least once . What we observed was a smaller number of therapy staff attending regularly , reporting a positive impact on their mental health and wellbeing that was invaluable during COVID-19 .
The survey found that 65 per cent of therapy staff said they felt supported or really supported by the wellbeing services we put in place . Staff also felt there were benefits to this being facilitated by the therapy team .
There was a sense of us being ‘ in it together ’ and having true empathy and understanding for what everyone was going through . The space we created was informal and casual in nature and this encouraged others who had some hesitance around exploring mental health to come and be curious about what was on offer .
Understandably , not all staff accessed the provision and some sought support from other places , such as the trust ’ s staff wellbeing telephone line . However , during the initial peaks of COVID-19 in 2020 , 71 per cent of those surveyed were only accessing wellbeing support from the therapy team to support their mental health .
Feedback helped us to understand how the support had been helpful and how it reduced the stigma of experiencing feelings of uncertainty or loss ( see box ).
While providing these wellbeing interventions , challenges arose with regards to room availability and needing a large enough space
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