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Showing results for tags 'Staff support'.
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News Article
Long Covid: 'I'm not the same person'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A nurse says the effects of "long Covid" mean she is "not the same person any more". Lynne Wakefield from Holyhead is still suffering with fatigue and "brain fog" after contracting Covid in June 2020. She said her employer had been "very good" supporting her, but other NHS staff told BBC Wales they felt pressurised to go back to work. The NHS Confederation said there was a package of support for staff affected by "longer term effects of Covid". A recent survey suggested about 56,000 people in Wales have symptoms of long Covid, which include fatigue, headaches and coughing. Other NHS workers with long Covid symptoms, who did not want to be named, told BBC Wales Live how they feel about the ways they are being treated by their employers: "I knew that returning to work would put my recovery at risk, but it was work or starve. On my return, I was informed that any further days absent in the next 12 months would result in a formal warning." "I'm so worried about losing my job as I've been off work for so long and I'm still nowhere near well enough to return." "If they say I have to come back or be dismissed, I'll have to do it, I'll have to try [and go back] and survive. I am so emotional at the moment, I can't stop crying - I feel I am going crazy." Read full story Source: BBC News, 28 April 2021 -
News Article
Glasgow NHS whistleblowing review highlights 'concerning' impact on staff
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
NHS whistleblowers have required counselling and medication and a quarter would not raise concerns again due to the stress and lack of support, a report found. A review of existing policy at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde found “concerning” evidence of a significant impact on the mental health of both whistleblowers and managers with little support provided. It found there was “no clear documented process” to highlight serious, urgent issues to the appropriate manager. Healthworkers’ union Unison said staff were often labelled ‘trouble-makers’ with senior managers "defensive from the outset". Sixty percent of staff reported that their mental health was negatively impacted by whistleblowing with some requiring counselling or medication to cope with the stress of disclosures. The report said it was of concern that a quarter of staff stated that they would not raise concerns such as unsafe clinical practices again given their experiences, a figure which it said was likely to be higher as this information was only recorded if it was volunteered by staff. Unison’s Regional Organiser Matt McLaughlin said, “Unison welcomes this paper and the Boards commitment to follow the updates national guidance. “However it will take more than a new policy for whistleblowers to feel valued within NHS GGC. The organisation is too defensive and staff who whistleblow often do so out of shear frustration that legitimate concerns are ignored – or worse, where the whistleblower is seen as a trouble maker. " "NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde needs to embrace and welcome staff speaking out; rather than being defensive from the outset." Read full story Source: The Herald, 28 April 2021 -
News Article
End NHS staff shortages now, Boris Johnson told
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Doctors, nurses and NHS bosses have pleaded with Boris Johnson to spend billions of pounds to finally end the chronic lack of staff across the health service. The strain of working in a perpetually understaffed service is so great that it risks creating an exodus of frontline personnel, they warn the prime minister in a letter published on Wednesday. They have demanded that the government devise an urgent plan that will significantly increase the size of the workforce of the NHS in England by the time of the next general election in 2024. Their intervention comes after the latest NHS staff survey found that growing numbers of them feel their work is making them sick and that almost two-thirds believe they cannot do their jobs properly because their organisation has too few people. NHS poll shows rising toll of work stress on staff health The letter has been signed by unions and other groups representing most of the NHS’s 1.4 million-strong workforce, including the Royal College of Nursing, British Medical Association and Unison. NHS Providers and the NHS Confederation, which both represent hospital trusts, have also endorsed it, as has the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, a professional body for the UK’s 240,000 doctors. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 21 April 2021 -
News Article
Scheme launched to improve safety for frontline NHS staff
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A London-wide operation has launched known as Operation Cavell, to improve the safety of NHS staff. The initiative will see a senior officer review all reports of assaults and hate crime against NHS staff. Following a three-month pilot, the NHS, Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have been working in partnership to launch the scheme, which aims to protect NHS staff on the frontline. As well as senior police officer involvement, senior welfare and support staff within the NHS will be brought on board to help those who have been the victim of such crimes feel safer. Martin Machray, Joint Regional Chief Nurse for NHS England & Improvement in London, said: “The last year of the pandemic has shone a light on the selflessness and dedication of NHS staff. All our staff should be able to come into work without fear of violence, injury or abuse. We therefore welcome the rollout of this important initiative across mental health services in London and we hope it will help protect and support our wonderful colleagues.” Read full story Source: National Health Executive, 16 April 2021 -
Content Article
In his latest blog, Ehi Iden, hub topic lead for Occupational Health and Safety, OSHAfrica, discusses the importance of documenting and learning from patient safety incidences. Using a fictional story to draw parallels from, Ehi highlights how accountability, leadership and reporting incidences will help us keep staff and patients safe. -
News ArticleHundreds of senior NHS managers have voiced their fears for the future of the health service amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis without a significant pay rise to help retain staff on the frontline. A survey of more than 800 senior NHS managers has revealed the extreme pressure some have been working under, with many working 20 or more hours of unpaid extra hours each week. More than 90 per cent backed a significant pay rise for NHS staff to try and head off a feared exodus of nurses, doctors and other staff leaving the NHS after the pandemic. This would help shore up the service as it faces the daunting task of tackling record waiting lists now totalling 4.7 million patients. Some managers said that the government’s planned 1 per cent pay rise was an “insult” and made them feel “worthless”, in responses to the survey, run by the Managers in Partnership union. Another described NHS staff as being treated like “cannon fodder” during the crisis. Read full story Source: The Independent, 16 April 2021
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Content ArticleUnderstand how you can protect yourself as a lone worker as well as how your employer and manager should support you, with this guide from NHS Employers on improving safety for lone workers. It includes a list of key things to consider, which acts as a helpful checklist for those who work alone. The guide is aimed at an increasing number of staff in the health sector who work alone in community settings such as patients’ homes or on outreach work. Lone workers can be vulnerable and at increased risk of physical or verbal abuse and harassment from patients, clients, their relatives or members of the public, simply because they don’t have the immediate support of colleagues or security staff.
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Content ArticleIn this blog for medical education website Intensive, Chris Nickson shares advice on running a 'hot debrief' after a critical incident. A hot debrief is a short conversation that allows staff involved in an incident to gather as a team and share their perspectives and concerns, as well as coming up with ways to prevent similar incidents happening again. This blog details practical methods for planning, facilitating and concluding a hot debrief and provides resources for further reading.
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Content ArticleThe prolonged illness experienced by many patients following acute COVID-19 has been termed ‘Long Covid’ by the self-organised patient groups formed on platforms like Facebook. Some of these patients have now been symptomatic for over a year. Long Covid impacts on ability to work, which has implications for employers, occupational health (OH) services and the wider economy. Clare Rayner and Richard Campbell discuss this in an article in Occupational Medicine.
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Content ArticleHelen McKenna sits down with Suzie Bailey, Director of Leadership and Organisational Development at The King’s Fund, and Professor Michael West to explore the results of the 2020 NHS Staff Survey and discuss how the NHS can create an inclusive, compassionate, and supportive working environment for staff.
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Content Article
Should HR be worried about Long Covid? (28 January 2021)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Blogs
With 1 in 10 people with coronavirus still have debilitating symptoms six months on, people professionals will need to keep sickness policies and return to work front of mind writes Elizabeth Howlett in this article for People Management. -
News ArticleA quarter of NHS workers are more likely to quit their job than a year ago because they are unhappy about their pay, frustrated by understaffing and exhausted by COVID-19, a survey suggests. The findings have prompted warnings that the health service is facing a potential “deadly exodus” of key personnel just as it tries to restart normal care after the pandemic. A representative poll of 1,006 health professionals across the UK by YouGov for the IPPR thinktank found that the pandemic has left one in four more likely to leave than a year ago. That includes 29% of nurses and midwives, occupations in which the NHS has major shortages. Ministers must initiate a “new deal” for NHS staff that involves a decent pay rise, better benefits, more flexible working and fewer administrative tasks, the IPPR said. “The last 12 months have stretched an already very thin workforce to breaking point. Many are exhausted, frustrated and in need of better support. If the government does not do right by them now, more many leave their jobs,” said Dr Parth Patel, an NHS doctor and IPPR research fellow who co-wrote its new report on how the NHS can retain and recruit more staff. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 30 May 2021
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Content ArticleThe Point of Care Foundation have developed Team Time in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Team Time is a 45-minute reflective practice that is run and facilitated online and provides an opportunity for people taking part to share experiences of their work in health and social care. As with Schwartz Rounds the focus is on participants’ emotional and social response to their work. However, unlike Schwartz Rounds, the audience is limited in size and is intended to be drawn from an area/department of a health/social care site rather than from across the organisation. The audience will comprise colleagues who have ‘common cause with others in a specialty/pathway’ and consider each other colleagues in the work of that area. Please note that Team Time training is available only to trained Schwartz Rounds facilitators.
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Content Article
Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in In surgery
The non-technical skills of surgeons (NOTSS) play a significant role in patient safety. The aim of the NOTSS project was to develop and test an educational system for assessment and training of non-technical skills in the intra-operative phase of surgery. NOTSS is a behaviour rating system based on a skills taxonomy that allows valid and reliable observation and assessment of four categories of surgeons' non-technical skill: situation awareness, decision making, communication & teamwork, and leadership. These are the essential non-technical skills surgeons need to perform safely in the operating room and NOTSS allows measurement of several ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) competencies, including professionalism, interpersonal and communication skills, and systems-based practice. The skills taxonomy can be used to structure training and assessment in this important area of surgical competence. -
EventChaired by Dr Caroline Walker Founder The Joyful Doctor; Psychiatrist and Specialist in Doctors’ Wellbeing, this conference focuses on supporting staff who have been involved in patient safety incidents, or are the subject of complaints or claims. Involvement in an incident, complaint or claim can have severe consequences on staff who may experience a range of reactions including stress, depression, shame and guilt. Download brochure Register
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Content ArticleHealthcare workers are among the heroes of the pandemic. One year in, many of us are experiencing stress, fatigue, and grief. But this can pale in comparison to the toll faced by those caring for the sick and dying on a daily basis. On the latest episode of The Dose, we listen to the stories of one group of frontline health workers: nurses. Often dealing with inadequate PPE and staff shortages, nurses are putting their own lives at risk — and many are experiencing burnout and exhaustion. In this podcast, guest, Mary Wakefield, takes us on a journey from rural hospitals to clinics in underserved areas, all through the eyes of nurses.
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Content ArticleThe NHS risks losing thousands of nurses, doctors and other key workers in the longer term unless they are given the time and space to recover from the pandemic. Without this, the Government will fail to meet its key manifesto target of recruiting an extra 50,000 nurses, and it will take even longer for the NHS to address the impact of the pandemic on waiting times and other services. The NHS Confederation report warns that staff need to recovery time following the past 12 months. The NHS Confederation, which represents the whole health system, is calling on the Government to act now to avert a staffing crisis in the NHS as the country prepares to emerge from a year of restrictions. With the NHS still facing the threat from coronavirus and a massive backlog of treatment, there is a real risk that exhausted NHS staff may leave their roles unless expectations of their workload mean they are allowed time to recover.
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Content ArticleTo safeguard patient safety and the wellbeing of healthcare staff, a realistic approach to tackling the backlog of non-COVID care is needed. NHS and public health services have been running ‘hot’ for a prolonged period of time and an overstretched and exhausted workforce must now be given time to rest and recuperate as they meet the challenges ahead. If staff are being pushed too hard to restore routine care in an unrealistic timeframe and without suitable resources, the likelihood is that we will see a workforce squeeze due to a combination of increasingly high staff absence rates and staff reducing their hours or leaving the workforce altogether. This would make it harder for health services to get back on track and provide timely and safe care to patients who need it.
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Content ArticleThe National Guardian’s Office today publishes its Annual Report for 2020, highlighting the progress which has been made in Freedom to Speak Up in health and the impact of the pandemic on speaking up.
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Content Article
RCOG/RCM: Undermining toolkit
PatientSafetyLearning Team posted an article in Maternity
The undermining toolkit is an RCOG/Royal College of Midwives (RCM) initiative to address the challenge of undermining and bullying behaviour in maternity and gynaecology services. The toolkit is divided into four sections that can be used independently: Strategic interventions - Recommendations for over-arching institutions such as the wider NHS, GMC, RCOG, RCM and others Unit, trust and local education provider interventions- Recommendations for trusts and hospitals Departmental and team interventions - Recommendations for departments, particularly around team working between obstetricians and midwives Individual interventions - Recommendations for individual victims and perpetrators of undermining. Follow the link below for more information. -
Content ArticleCOVID-19 presents many challenges to healthcare systems internationally, none more so than the significant reporting among healthcare workers (HCWs) of occupational fatigue and burnout or Long COVID related symptoms. Consensus on the extent of HCW fatigue during the pandemic remains largely unknown, as levels of Long COVID related fatigue in HCWs appears to be on the rise. What is known is that, among current levels, impacts of fatigue on HCW well-being and performance is likely. Developing strategies to mitigate fatigue are the responsibilities of all healthcare system stakeholders. Leadership that goes beyond organisational efforts of mitigating fatigue through mandated working hour limits alone are needed.
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Content ArticleIn this blog the Safer Healthcare and Biosafety Network and Patient Safety Learning reflect on the results of the NHS Staff Survey 2020, considering how staff safety relates to patient safety in the context of this.
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Content ArticleFrom infection control to maintaining safe staffing levels, the COVID-19 pandemic has helped to highlight the intrinsic link between patient safety and staff safety. At the recent Future of Hospitals event from Health Plus Care Online, Helen Hughes, Patient Safety Learning's CEO, Timothy Clark, Founder & CEO of Leader Factor, and Claire Cox, Guys and St Thomas' Hospital, explore this further, considering how ensuring staff safety supports making improvements to patient safety. They consider the essential role that creating a psychologically safe workplace plays in enabling staff to speak up and effectively tackle incidents of unsafe care.
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Content Article
Five fundamentals of civility
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Good practice
Graphic showing the five fundamentals of civility. -
Content ArticleIncivility in the healthcare system can have an enormous negative impact and consequences. In contrast, civil behaviour promotes positive social interactions and effective workplace functioning. This article focuses on the first two fundamentals of the five fundamentals of civility: respect and self-awareness.
