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Why the wellbeing of NHS staff is so important
Posted Thursday 17 September 2009
So, NHS staff take the more sick days than anywhere else in the public sector? Anyone who has had any experience with the day to day running of NHS services can't be that shocked by this.
Growing up in a household of medic parents, I know the stress that these professions can entail. I imagine that if I told my mum that a quarter of NHS staff go off sick due to stress, depression and anxiety, she would simply look a bit baffled and reply "Surely stress, depression and anxiety are part of the job?!"
Speaking with people who use NHS mental health services over the last few months, as we consult on the Department of Health's plans for New Horizons, the next 10 year strategy for mental health, the issue of NHS staff wellbeing keeps cropping up.
The general opinion is that there are some great people working in mental health services but too many of them just aren't treated properly. Instead, they can be overworked and left with little support of their own. The resulting absenteeism then goes on to have a very negative effect on clients who, even in a crisis, are told that their psychiatrist isn't available or that their community psychiatric nurse will be changing for the umpteenth time. In fact, more than 80 per cent of NHS staff questioned admitted that their health affected the quality of care they gave to patients.
Users of NHS services deserve better continuity with mental health professionals who are well enough to provide the right care, and mental health professionals deserve a better working environment that practices what it preaches.
As the Department of Health begins to draw up plans to improve wellbeing across the whole population, let's hope they remember the needs of their own. You can have your say on the Department of Health's plans for New Horizons.
Mariam Kemple, Policy and Campaigns Officer
3 Comments
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This looked like a useful article but when I read it the argument seemed so muddled and excessively diplomatic that I felt the real message hadn't come across.
Was it essentially about absenteeism, about continuity of clinicians, about overburdened staff, about New Horizons? I don't know!
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as a NHS professional off sick with mental health problems I have first hand experience of the difficulties experienced by NHS staff in the current climate. I have been affected by work based bullying and harrassment, a lack of work breaks ( no time for lunch) poor staffing, rigid management and lack of support in the workplace. The net effect is that i am off sick and risk losing everything. I advocate for the rights of my patients but who advocates my rights? There comes a point where one has to balance personal needs against the needs of others and look after oneself. Thus I am off sick but i still care for those whom i looked after.
I feel unable to return to work until such time as the bullying stops. it is unlikely to do so. Therefore i have to experience the demise of my career and the consequent loss of finance, role and security that many of my patients experience. My recovery is unclear but my ability to empathise with others is greatly enhanced. I am an excellent health professional but bullying has destroyed me. In the future, if I return to work then i hope I will be a better person for my experiences. At present i am a patient. my main concerns are my housing, mental health and wellbeing. it is hard to be fit and well when I am at risk of losing my home.
the new horizons document is a public consultation that builds on the NSF for mental health and sets forth plans for the future of mental health care. I think it needs to consider work life balance for staff working in the NHS in addition to others who may or may not work elsewhere. It states that we should use a growing understanding of mental health care to influence central and local governement policy. perhaps then the NHS employers should look at providing beter working conditons for staff that match those in local governement ie proper lunch breaks of an hour in length and 36 hour working weeks instead of 37.5 hours. this would give staff time to relax and digest there food or do something healthy, and probably will increase productivity and the ability to cope with work based stress.
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the new horizons document is a public consultation that builds on the NSF for mental health and sets forth plans for the future of mental health care. I think it needs to consider work life balance for staff working in the NHS in addition to others who may or may not work elsewhere. It states that we should use a growing understanding of mental health care to influence central and local governement policy. perhaps then the NHS employers should look at providing beter working conditons for staff that match those in local governement ie proper lunch breaks of an hour in length and 36 hour working weeks instead of 37.5 hours. this would give staff time to relax and digest there food or do something healthy, and probably will increase productivity and the ability to cope with work based stress.
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