Psychological support –Catherine Derbyshire

Psychological support during Covid-19

LTHT has always recognised that its staff work in a stressful environment and will need mental health and wellbeing support – even more so during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Dr Catherine Derbyshire

The Trust acted quickly very early on in the outbreak by setting up drop-in hubs for staff to talk to a professional about any health and wellbeing issues with which they needed support. They have included anything from sessions on how to cope with the stress of delivering care to very sick patients, or the emotional impact of the multiple changes staff were encountering within the workplace. For those who couldn’t make faceto-face meetings the Trust provided support staff for direct telephone and online engagement. The Psychology team have been sending out a daily bulletin message which has included providing advice on coping mechanisms and how to maintain their mental wellbeing during stressful times. ‘Pressing the Pause Button’ allowed staff to take five minutes out of their day to check in with the emotional wellbeing, watch videos and read tips on breathing exercises, methods to manage anxiety, and ways to sleep better. Dr Catherine Derbyshire, Head of Neuropsychology at LTHT, said one of the successes was in making a psychologist available to each of the clinical units across its hospitals. “It

has allowed staff more direct access to health and wellbeing support but also enabled them to work in teams and talk about and problem-solve issues,” she said.

“There’s no doubt from the feedback we have been receiving that people have found the services we provided during this unprecedented health emergency very helpful. We will be looking at many of the things we have been doing to help staff during the Covid-19 outbreak and considering what can be carried forward.”