NHS strengthens mental health support for staff

NHS England has announced that staff will get rapid access to expanded mental health services that are being rolled out across the country as part of efforts to deal with the second wave of coronavirus.

NHS England and NHS Improvement will invest an extra £15 million to strengthen mental health support for nurses, paramedics, therapists, pharmacists, and support staff, funding outreach work among those deemed most as risk such as critical care staff.

It means that staff referred by themselves or colleagues will be rapidly assessed and treated by local expert mental health specialists. Those with the most severe needs will be referred to a specialist centre of excellence.

The £15 million funding package will be spent on: creating a national support service for critical care staff who research suggests are most vulnerable to severe trauma; funding nationwide outreach and assessment services, ensuring staff receive rapid access to evidence based mental health services; and developing well-being and psychological training, set to be rolled out this winter.

Mental health problems are one of the main reasons for staff absences, with latest data showing that anxiety, stress and other psychiatric illness accounted for 28.3 per cent of all sickness leave in May 2020.

Claire Murdoch, NHS National Mental Health Director, said: “It is crucial that the NHS staff working tirelessly to protect the health of the nation throughout this pandemic are given the support they deserve, which is why we are announcing this expansion of services. Frontline workers are the backbone of the NHS, from porters and cleaners to nurses, doctors and therapists, and this funding will ensure they are properly supported while they continue to care for the thousands of patients who rely on the NHS.”