Staff support
Get in touch
The COVID staff support line is open to answer your queries Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. You can contact us by calling 0208 266 6551 or email us at CovidStaffSupport@stgeorges.nhs.uk. Please leave a message out of hours and we will get back to you as soon as possible. You can also contact our counselling service directly, for one-to-one support on extension 3368 or email staffsupport@stgeorges.nhs.uk.
National Support Services
In addition to the local offer we have here at the Trust provided by our psychologists, a national helpline for NHS staff has been set up for those needing support with their mental health, bereavement, financial help or coaching support from the pressures faced during managing Covid-19.
To access this support, you can call 0300 131 7000 (7-11pm, 7 days a week), or receive support 24/7 by text. Text ‘frontline’ to 85258. You can also visit people.nhs.uk which has lots of resources to help manage your own wellbeing whilst caring for others at this time.
Looking After You
NHS Silver Cloud is an online course to help you manage stress, anxiety and depression. You work through a series of topics selected by a therapist to address specific needs. The eight-week course is designed to be completed in your own time and at your own pace. To redeem for free, visit the website and enter code NHS2020.
We have also developed a series of videos online to support your overall wellbeing:
Sleep
This leaflet covers top tips for sleep during Covid-19 and you can find a nice summary of tips to help you with managing sleep during shift work here. Sleepio is a clinically-evidenced sleep improvement programme that helps improve poor sleep. Access Sleepio is for free via their website entering the code NHS2020.
Work Stress
This document contains useful guidance on managing work stress.
Mental health and wellbeing support for our BAME communities
Liberate Meditation have partnered with the NHS to provide staff free access to their meditation and mindfulness app. The app offers culturally sensitive and diverse meditations, curated for the BAME community, by the BAME community, aiming to reduce anxiety, alleviate stress and promote rest. All NHS staff have access to this resource via the NHS People site.
Compassion Fatigue
Compassion Fatigue is a type of burnout stress that health care workers get from absorbing distress and suffering in patients. It comes from feeling powerless to change suffering. This is a very common experience.
This is a short video about how to prevent compassion fatigue and how to spot it in yourself and in your team. This handout tells you more about compassion fatigue and ways to take care of yourself.
Managing Death and Dying
We know that bereavement is very difficult in any situation, however during Covid-19 when we are not connected to our loved ones and support network this can feel evening more challenging. Sometimes families have been unable to say their goodbyes and/or observe other practices and traditions that are important.
This is a video we have developed to support you in managing grief and bereavement.
Here is a summary of what might help you and others through loss.
You can call the National Bereavement support line on 0300 303 4434. This is a confidential support line, operated by Hospice UK and free to access from 8:00am – 8:00pm, seven days a week. A team of fully qualified and trained bereavement specialists are available to support you with bereavement and wellbeing issues relating to loss experienced through your work.
The following UK bereavement charities and organisations are offering both practical and emotional advice and support on how to cope with bereavement during this pandemic:
Cruse
The Good Grief Trust
At a Loss
Marie Curie
Winston’s Wish
Childhood Bereavement UK
Age UK
Practical funeral advice from National Association of Funeral Directors
Advice for Key Worker Parents
The British Psychological Society has produced this summary guide which you can access here.The World Health Organisations (WHO) have information on ‘Healthy Parenting’ which you can view here https://tinyurl.com/WHOHealthyParenting and ‘How to Talk to Children about Illness’ which you can access here.
Team Support
These are some ways in which you can work well as a team in difficult times and look out for each other’s emotional wellbeing:
Top tips for good team working
Advice for sustaining staff wellbeing
Psychological first aid
Circle of influence: focusing on what is in your control
Taking breaks
How to huddle
A going home checklist can help you to reflect on the day with your team and give you ways to switch your attention to home.
These two handouts can be particularly helpful for managers in supporting their teams: managers’ tips and managing after traumatic experiences.
