looking after you after... · tips or advice you have around steps you are taking to help get you...
TRANSCRIPT
Looking After You
Your Support (COVID-19)
A Guide for Staff
Looking After You
The NHS is facing unprecedented demand and the strain on our staff
during the COVID-19 outbreak is inevitable.
This document is intended to provide you with information and resources to help to mitigate the strain and pressure which you are facing during this time…
t provides you with the support mechanisms available to you as an NCA employee alongside useful tools aimed at looking after your health and wellbeing.
We are here to support you.
Thank you all!
We're in this together...
We want to say THANK YOU to all of you for the hard work you have done and continue to do.
The collaborative thinking and intuitive ways of team working already happening across the Trust is outstanding. By supporting ourselves and each other we can ensure that we continue to offer the very best care to our patients.
If you have any ideas on things we can do to help you further please e-mail: [email protected]
Contents Supporting Your Mental Health J
Counselling Employee Assistance Programme Vivup National Staff Support Line Targeted Psychological Support Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Occupational Health Equality Diversity and Inclusion Team
Covid-19 Anxiety Anxiety UK APPLE Technique Tips and advice to help you get through Check in with yourself and ask how are you feeling? Check in at handover Silvercloud Minded Resilience Hub Meditation Apps
External Resources: Anxiety UK Covid-19 Anxiety Every Mind Matters Mind Mental Health Foundation Safe Lives Refuge Women’s Aid Respect Men’s Advice Line
Useful Information Groceries on site and Meat/Veg Boxes How to Clean Your Smart Phone Safely Salary Finance and Credit Unions NHS Discounts
Support to help you feel safe - Raising concerns you may have
Supporting Your Mental Health Coronavirus has created an ever changing and uncertain landscape and the constant news about the pandemic can feel relentless. All of this is taking its toll on people's mental health, and can create additional difficulty for those already living with conditions like anxiety and OCD.
It’s ok not to be ok. Remember you are not alone!
There is a wide range of support information available to you, some of which have been detailed on the next few pages. How can we take care of our mental health?
• Limit the news and be careful what you read • Have breaks from social media and mute things which are triggering • Wash your hands - but not excessively • Stay connected with people • Try using some of the tools available. • Be aware of the signs of burnout and what that means to you and have a mitigation strategy in
place.
Counselling
Counselling offers staff a safe place to explore difficulties in life with an impartial party. It allows a safe space to explore feelings and thoughts in order to better understand them.
Access to the counselling service is free and confidential With the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak, counselling has now moved to a virtual service (either on the telephone or a ‘Virtual Face to Face’ using Skype or Zoom etc). During the outbreak, The NCA has also secured additional counselling resources from Vivup to support our own Occupational Health teams to provide a quicker Virtual Face to Face counselling service.
Referrals can either be made by calling: 03303 800658.
Or by completing the referral form in Appendix 1 and sending it to: [email protected]
Employee Assistance Programme
Staff have access to a confidential telephone helpline via our Employee Assistance Programme. This can be useful if you need to speak to someone who is independent, outside of work and outside of working out of hours. The telephone service is available 24/7 by calling 03303 800658. Support and advice is available across the following areas
• Stress • Anxiety • Family Difficulties • Relationship • Health • Finances • Bereavement Anxiety
Vivup
Vivup offers a range of support and advice covering Physical Health and Wellbeing, Financial Support, Mental Health and Wellbeing. It details different ways that support can be accessed as well as useful guides. It can be accessed by registering/ logging into www.vivup.co.uk. This is free and completely confidential. The Vivup site also offers a range of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy workbooks covering:
Abuse Alcohol and You
Anxiety Bereavement
Controlling Anger Depression and Low Mood
Domestic Violence
Eating Disorder Food for Thought
HealthAnxiety Hearing Voices
Obsessions and Compulsions Panic
Post Traumatic Stress Post Natal Depression
Self Harm Shyness and Social Anxiety
Sleeping Problems Stress
National Staff Support Line In the current climate of increasing pressures on our healthcare system, our NHS people potentially face significant stresses.
The NHS have introduced a confidential staff support line, operated by the Samaritans and free to access from 7.00 am – 11.00 pm, seven days a week.
Call 0300 131 7000
You can call for support, signposting and confidential listening.
Alternatively, you can text FRONTLINE to 85258 for support 24/7 via text.
Targeted Psychological Support
Targeted psychological support has been arranged for ICU teams across the NCA and the ID team at North. We are developing a model of support to scale this across the NCA into other targeted areas as the pandemic expands. This support will complement the team huddle approach. For further information contact: [email protected] Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care
The Chaplains are appointed by the Trust and are professionals from various religions, cultures and traditions and have a wealth of life experience. They offer a unique, independent and confidential service of pastoral care and support to all members of staff.
Services available at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust This service is available 24/7 to offer emotional support and/or religious care to patients, carers and staff. For urgent needs we will be with you within the hour, whilst for non-urgent needs we aim to see people by the next working day. In addition to offering individual support, the team offer regular activities:
Ecumenical prayers – Monday to Friday at 12pm in the chapel Church of England & Free Church Service of Holy Communion – Wednesday 1pm & Sunday 10am. Roman Catholic Mass- Monday/ Tuesday/ Wednesday 12.15pm & Sunday 4pm Muslim Prayers - Jumu’ah Prayers are held every Friday (times change according to the time of year. Services available at Pennine Acute NHS Trust A chaplaincy service is available seven days a week, 9am – 5pm and around the clock for urgent needs. Fairfield General Hospital A chapel is available to all who wish to pray or for those who just wish to be silent. There is also a prayer room, with a women’s area, which is regularly used for Friday Muslim prayers. Both facilities are open 24 hours. A Shabbos Room is available for Jewish staff, patients and visitors. North Manchester General Hospital Christian chapels can be found on the main corridor (St Luke’s on A Block) and St Raphael’s (D Block). There are Muslim prayer facilities for both males and female on the second floor; this used to be ward G6. This area also has a more general Spiritual Space for use by people of any belief in a side room. A Shabbos Room, on the main corridor on D Block, is available for Jewish visitors, patients and staff. These facilities are open 24 hours. The Royal Oldham Hospital A chapel is available in all in the Chalmers Keddie Building for those who wish to pray or who just wish to be silent. Due to the location slightly away from the main building, this is open only between 6am and 6pm. The Prayer Room, with female area, can be found on the Sheepfoot Lane Block, level -1, Garden entrance, and is open 24 hours. Though this is mainly used by Muslims, people of other faiths are welcome to use the facility. Rochdale Infirmary The Oasis Multifaith room, located on the top floor, is a quiet space available for all. Next to this there is also a Muslim prayer room with a female area. This is open between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. Outside of these hours access can be gained with a staff card or by going through security. Urgent Enquiries Please ring the hospital switchboard and ask for the on-call chaplain. 0161 624 0420 Non-Urgent Enquiries Please contact one of the site offices below. If no one is available in the office at the time, please do leave a message:
• Fairfield General Hospital and Rochdale Infirmary – 0161 778 3568 • North Manchester General Hospital – 0161 720 2990 • The Royal Oldham Hospital and the Floyd Unit – 0161 627 8796
Occupational Health Occupational health is a specialist branch of medicine that focuses on the physical and mental wellbeing of employees in the workplace.
The advice provided by Occupational Health is meant to be impartial, objective and based on medical evidence as much as possible. It is delivered by a mixture of several different professionals including (but not limited to) nurses, physiotherapists, manual handling trainers, occupational health assistants, doctors, counsellors, psychologist and a myriad of ancillary staff.
The aim of all these professionals is to facilitate the prevention of work-related diseases and injuries by:
• Promoting safe working practices; • Studying work and how the equipment could facilitate better health and performance • Monitoring the health of the employees • Supporting management with the staff’s sickness absence.
Equality Diversity and Inclusion Team
The Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Team continue to be available to provide advice and guidance to all staff despite a change in working arrangements with home and rotational working to support our frontline colleagues. If you feel we can help support your team or department at all in responding to any operational challenges arising from the COVID19 threat, please get in touch we have a range of skilled and passionate staff here to support you. We also have staff in a number of roles acting as ambassadors for inclusion and wellbeing throughout the NCA. Our LGBT, BAME and Disability Staff Network Chairs are still here to offer their support and guidance from colleagues with shared lived experience and our Cultural Ambassadors and Dignity advisors are available for all staff to signpost and provide support around decision making bias and culture locally. For further information about their role or their contact details please contact the EDI Team email.
To help support each other with promoting positive wellbeing we are asking colleagues to share any tips or advice you have around steps you are taking to help get you through the day or reduce your own anxiety levels. However small your idea or advice please get in touch as together we can help promote wellbeing across the NCA. #OneTeam #OurNHSPeople
EDI Team Email: [email protected]
For urgent operational issues please contact:
Naheed Nazir – Associate Director for Inclusion & Engagement [email protected]
Tara Hewitt – Equality & Inclusion Programme Manager (Operational EDI Lead) [email protected]
We want people to know that the emotions that they have are normal and understandable in relation to the context they are working in and
the experiences they have had. This helps people to be compassionate towards themselves and each other, encourages them to reflect on and adapt their ways or coping with painful
emotions, and helps them to make valued behavioural choices going forward.
Anxiety UK APPLE Technique
Acknowledge: Notice and acknowledge the uncertainty as it comes to mind. Pause: Don't react as you normally do. Don't react at all. Pause and breathe. Pull back: Tell yourself this is just the worry talking, and this apparent need for certainty is not helpful and not necessary. It is only a thought or feeling. Don't believe everything you think. Thoughts are not statements or facts. Let go: Let go of the thought or feeling. It will pass. You don't have to respond to them. You might imagine them floating away in a bubble or cloud. Explore: Explore the present moment, because right now, in this moment, all is well. Notice your breathing and the sensations of your breathing. Notice the ground beneath you. Look around and notice what you see, what you hear, what you can touch, what you can smell. Right now. Then shift your focus of attention to something else - on what you need to do, on what you were doing before you noticed the worry, or do something else mindfully with your full attention.
COVID-19 Anxiety
Tips and advice to help you get throughSome things that could help you now
When you arrive at work each day, tell someone how you are feeling maybe ask how they are coping?
In times of uncertainty and change we tend to live in the extremes of our behaviour. Identify your own style under stress – are you reactive? do you tend to retreat? do you shout? Make colleagues aware of your style under stress and discuss how you would like them to acknowledge when they see your extreme behaviours
Find something that you have ownership and control over, and keep that as your safe space Tell people when they are doing a great job, we are all humans and doing the best we can,
remember how good it feels when you feel appreciated Check in with yourself and ask how are you feeling? Ask yourself how you are feeling today? (A poster has been produced in Appendix 2): No matter how you feel, there are steps you can take that will positively influence your mental health and the mental health of others around you. Take a few moments to check in with yourself and notice how you are feeling. Use this approach to support colleagues, friends or family by starting a conversation.
Check in at handover
During handovers/ huddles, take a few minutes to ask some of the Going Home Checklist questions to check in and see how you and your team are feeling? A standard approach utilising best practice has been developed by AQuA for us to utilise and adapt. A short video is being developed that will explain the background to the approach Suggested Questions:
Introduction What is the huddle? Ground rules
Need to Know What happened today?
Need to do What do we need right now?
Plan Let’s just be clear what we are all going to do now/next? Do we Jennigneed additional support do you ? If this support cannot be resolved locally with your supervisor or team leader, escalate to your local Bronze Command or through the Care Organisation’s Silver Command
Understand Impact The way we feel is absolutely normal for these circumstances
Silvercloud
SilverCloud Health is a leading digital mental health company. Our range of programmes are used globally by over 300 healthcare providers, health plans and employers.
The company’s multi-award-winning digital mental health platform is a result of over 17 years of clinical research with leading academic institutions. The platform is validated through randomised control trials and real-world data from over 350,000 SilverCloud users.
They are offering free wellbeing support for all NHS staff and their families.
How NHS staff and their families can get access
Access: Silvercloud
Use access code: NHS2020
Download the Silvercloud app from your app store
Covid-19 Resilience Hub
Designed to help front line NHS staff and care services manage their own mental health and wellbeing, whilst looking after others during the Covid-19 crisis.
The Hub pulls together advice and tips from our large panel of international experts to guide you and your team. Created on behalf of Health Education England in partnership with NHS England-Improvement. Supported by Skills For Care, this Hub is for everyone on the front line health and care services
Access: http://covid.minded.org.uk
Meditation Apps
NHS staff have access to a number of free meditation apps. Meditation can offer a useful time to reflect and process things that are going on. If you haven’t tried meditation before, we would recommend you try it, it may help you manage. It doesn’t need to take a huge investment of time. Perhaps 10 mins a day (more if you would like). Unmind: Unmind is a mental health platform that empowers proactive improvement of your mental wellbeing. Using scientifically-backed assessments, tools and training you can measure and manage your personal mental health needs, including digital programmes designed to help with stress, sleep, coping, connection, fulfilment and nutrition. They are offering free access to NHS staff until the end of December 2020, active now. How NHS staff can get access - Go to nhs.unmind.com/signup - Sign up with your NHS email address - Download the Unmind app from your app store - your organisation name is NHS.
Headspace: Headspace is a science-backed app in mindfulness and meditation, providing unique tools and resources to help reduce stress, build resilience, and aid better sleep. They are offering free access to all NHS staff with an NHS email address until 31 December 2020, active now. It includes a section entitled “Weathering the storm” which offers:
Basics Feeling Stressed? Mindfulness when you are walking home Navigating change SOS sessions: Panicking Feeling Overwhelmed Help with Sleep
How NHS staff can get access Go to https://www.headspace.com/nhs for NHS staff to access, with the option to select clinical or non-clinical staff to start enrolling You will need to use your NHS email address to sign up Sleepio and Daylight (developed by Big Health): Sleepio is a clinically-evidenced sleep improvement programme that is fully automated and highly personalised, using cognitive behavioural techniques to help improve poor sleep. Free access to Sleepio for all NHS staff is active now until 31 December 2020 . Daylight is a smartphone-based app that provides help to people experiencing symptoms of worry and anxiety, using evidence-based cognitive behavioural techniques, voice and animation. Free access to Daylight is active now until 31 December 2020. How NHS staff can get access How to access Sleepio 1. Visit sleepio.com/redeem on your laptop or desktop computer 2. Enter redeem code NHS2020 and sign up for an account using your name and email address 3. Complete the sleep test 4. Get started! How to access Daylight 1. Click on the following link: daylight.com/NHSaccess 2. Answer a few short questions to tailor the programme to you 3. Sign up for an account using your name and email address 4. Download the Daylight smartphone app (search 'Daylight - Worry Less', available on both iPhone
and Android) 5. Get started!
External Resources:
Anxiety UK Easy access to a range of information, resources and support for helping you understand how to deal with anxiety during these difficult times while Coronavirus (COVID-19) is impacting on our lives. Find out more: https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/
Covid-19 Anxiety During the Coronavirus pandemic, Anxiety UK offer a help line and resources to provide additional support. It is open until 10am -10pm on weekdays and 10am -8pm on weekends: 03444 775774 Find out more : https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/coronanxiety-support-resources/
Government Advice https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-advice-to-support-mental-health-during-coronavirus-outbreak?utm_source=6030a355-bc47-42d5-acc5-8499a6f38573&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_content=immediate
Every Mind Matters We all go through ups and downs We all experience times when we're struggling or not coping as we might like, or where our circumstances and life events make things extremely difficult and challenging. It's part of life, and sometimes it's OK to not be OK. Our mental health is not fixed, it's fluid, and just as it can be affected by our life experiences, events and circumstances, there are things we can do to improve it and help others. Find out more: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/
Mind When you’re living with a mental health problem, or supporting someone who is, having access to the right information is vital. Mind offer a range of resources to support anyone with mental health problems.
Find out more: https://www.mind.org.uk/
Mental Health Foundation The Mental Health Foundation is part of the national mental health response providing support to address the mental health an psychological aspects of the Coronavirus outbreak, alongside colleagues at Public Health England and the Department of Health and Social Care. Find out more: https://mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/looking-after-your-mental-health-during-coronavirus-outbreak
Refuge No one should live in fear. It is not acceptable, not inevitable, and together – we can make it stop. If you are experiencing domestic abuse, are worried about a friend/family member, or would like more information about spotting the signs of abuse, immediate help is available.
If you are in immediate danger, please call 999 and ask for the police. If you are not in immediate danger, please call: Freephone 24 hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247
Women’s Aid
Information and support for women who experience domestic abuse.
Find out more: https://www.womensaid.org.uk/information-support/
Respect Men’s Advice Line Help and support for men who experience domestic abuse Find out more: https://mensadviceline.org.uk/
Useful Information
Groceries for sale on site and Meat/ Veg Boxes
All sites will have basic food items available for staff to buy from w/c 30th March: Bury: North Manchester: Oldham: Rochdale: Salford:
Staff are able to order vegetable or meat hampers for delivery to work:
For information on vegetable hampers: http://nww.pat.nhs.uk/corporate-departments/emergency%20planning/Coronavirus/Discounted%20veg%20boxes.pdf
For information on vegetable hampers: http://nww.pat.nhs.uk/corporate-departments/emergency%20planning/Coronavirus/NHS%20Meat%20Hampers.pdf
Coronavirus: How to clean your smartphone safely
While you may want to clean your smartphone, some substances can damage the device. Dr Lena Ciric, a microbiologist from University College London, says you can effectively clean your phone using just household soap and water. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/technology-51863924/coronavirus-how-to-clean-your-smartphone-safely
Salary Finance and Credit Unions
Financial concerns can have an impact both at home and work. We want to ensure that you have access to employee benefits to help reduce this stress. Salary Finance offer: Borrow: employee loans repaid from your salary. An affordable loan could be used to pay off expensive debt and save you money Save: savings with contributions made direct from your salary - helping you to save without the hassle Learn: tools and tips to help you manage money better Find out more: srft-nhs.salaryfinance.com pat-nhs.salaryfinance.com Metro Moneywise Credit Union are a cooperative based in Rochdale providing low cost loans and highly efficient savings to staff through payroll deductions.
Loans are available for as little as £500 to as much as £5000 dependent on circumstances.
Annual dividend paid on instantly accessible savings. All savings 100% guaranteed under the FSCS Find out more: https://www.metromoneywise.co.uk/join-us
Discounts for NHS workers
All staff can access discounts for free via www.vivup.co.uk to help with shopping including discounted e-gift cards for discounted food: Asda 3% Tesco 3.75% John Lewis & Partners 4% Sainsburys 4%
In addition to 10% discount across a range of other online stores.
Additional discounts for NHS workers are available through:
https://www.nhsemployers.org/news/2020/03/national-discounts-for-nhs-workers
https://healthservicediscounts.com/shopping
Support to help you feel safe - Raising concerns you may have We are committed to feeding back to you where you have informed us of a concern regarding patient or personal safety. If you have concerns that cannot be resolved locally they should be escalated to Silver Command within your Care Organisation and if required Silver Command will escalate to Gold Command. Responses will be provided via the Staff Frequently Asked Questions section on the Intranet, or through Silver/ Gold Communications. If at any time we don’t have the information to answer your concern we will explain this and the next steps we intend to take. We will aim to answer all concerns within 48 hours.
If you do not feel confident or able to raise concerns personally, you are able to raise concerns through:
Freedom to Speak Up Champions The role will act in a genuinely independent and impartial capacity to support staff who raise concerns by ensuring they understand the process for raising and handling concerns, and to offer support and guidance to those staff who wish to raise concerns, or to those staff who handle concerns. These are independent and impartial roles with access to the Chief Executive, our Non-Executive Directors and Executive teams within the Care Organisations.
Safe Call Safecall is an independent, confidential 24 hour reporting hot line for staff, students and contractors to use where they see wrongdoing and don’t feel able to report this to one of the Trust’s managers.
We recognise that staff have an important part to play in helping the Trust achieve these goals and that it is essential staff are able to report incidents of wrongdoing at work for example: Concerns over Patient Care, Bullying, Dishonesty, Fraud, Unethical Behaviour, Corruption, Discrimination, Environmental Concerns, Criminality or Health & Safety. When contacting Safecall, you will be put in touch with an operator who is trained to receive reports about concerns in the workplace which you feel cannot be addressed in any other way. Your call will not be recorded but a written report will be produced and sent to an appropriate Director at the Trust. All calls received by Safecall will be treated confidentially and, should you wish, guarantee your anonymity. We all have a responsibility to report any wrongdoing and so my message is clear, help us to continue improving workplace standards. If you have any concerns you wish to raise with Safecall, the number is 0800 915 1571.
Looking After You
We hope you have found this publication useful We will continue to update this staff support guide on a regular basis. Keep an
eye out for the latest information.
Thank you for all you do and continue to do in these unprecedented times
Appendix 1
REFERRAL TO STAFF COUNSELLING SERVICE
(Office Use Only) Date…………….….
Cohort No:
REFERRED BY: Self Manager OHA OH Consultant
REFERRER’S NAME………………………………..……………….
Discharge Date: ………………………………..……………….
Please be aware: Clients will be contacted to offer an appointment. If we do not receive a response following 2 attempts it will result in discharge from the service. Clients may re-refer again if required
CLIENT DETAILS
NAME: DOB:
ADDRESS:
CONTACT NUMBER(S): *Please ensure all contact details are up to date*
Please indicate if we are able to leave message as this information allows us to leave a voicemail offering you an assessment date and time if you are unable to answer the phone
Mobile:…………………………… Home……………………… Work………………………
EMAIL ADDRESS:
How can we contact you? Letter: Yes/No Phone: Yes/No Email: Yes/No
OCCUPATION: EMPLOYER: DEPARTMENT:
NO. OF HOURS WORKED PER WEEK:
GP NAME AND ADDRESS:
NATURE OF THE REFERRAL – IF KNOWN (Circle one or more)
*Suspension from Work *Work Trauma *Extraneous Trauma * Bereavement
Stress Anxiety Depression Illness Relationship Problems
*For work trauma please fast track for psychological support as per the protocol
AVAILABILITY FOR APPOINTMENTS: (Days available: Mon/ Tues/ Weds/ Thus/ Fri
Would you be willing to see a counsellor in training? Yes/No
(Office use only)
Referral Acknowledged by……………………… Telephone/Letter/Email on…………………….…
Assessment Appointment………………..……… 1st Appointment date…………………….………..
Appt. notes:
APPENDIX 2