Team delivering mental health support to healthcare workers after the pandemic up for top nursing accolade
A team of dedicated nurses who in weeks set up a mental health support hub for healthcare professional colleagues struggling from the challenges of their role during the pandemic had been shortlisted for a prestigious UK award.
The mental health resilience hub at Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is a finalist in the Mental Health Nursing category of the RCN Nursing Awards 2021, having been chosen from hundreds of entries.
They will find out if they have won at a ceremony on October 12.
The RCN Nurse of the Year 2021 selected from all the category winners will be announced at the event.
The impressive and comprehensive nurse-led support service for health, social care and support staff was mobilised in five weeks over Christmas 2020, including setting up new recording systems and datasets, recruiting and engaging staff who were reluctant to seek help and ensuring a proactive approach to mental health support.
In May, 120 staff had been referred, triaged, assessed and had or were having trauma-focused therapy. Many presented with trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, complex grief reactions, trauma related to assaults at work or witnessing self-harm or serious incidents.
Average referral to assessment time is 1-2 days and assessment to therapy is 1-2 weeks. All the participants who were surveyed found the service to be compassionate, effective and confidential, and they said they would recommend it to a colleague.
Lead nurse Diane Palmer says: Our service provides rapid access to an emotional helpline and a full clinical team that can provide assessment and therapy in a matter of days. We do not record on the usual systems and therefore offer a higher level of confidentiality for staff who may worry about who could see their records.
‘Our staff are trained in a variety of therapies and we also ensure our own team have reflective practise and supervision and opportunities for self care. We are developing an integrated COVID Support offer with physical health colleagues for staff with Long COVID.’
The team is delighted to be a finalist in the RCN Nursing Awards.
Ms Palmer says: ‘We are overwhelmed with pride that our compassion focused, trauma informed staff support services are being recognised nationally and that this will help us showcase our work.’
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said: ‘Our finalists highlight nursing’s response to the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, but also highlights what we do – day in, day out – to improve the health and well-being of our patients.
‘These finalists demonstrate the very best in nursing and I am so proud of all of them.’
Foundation of Nursing Studies chief executive and awards judging panel chair Joanne Bosanquet said: ‘The quality of entries was so high and it was near impossible to choose our finalists from the amazing work submitted.
‘The shortlist showcases excellence and recognises the huge difference that the nursing team makes to people’s lives throughout the UK – not least their enormous contribution to the pandemic response.’