Key Workers and mental health: who can help the helpers?

It is well documented that the pandemic took its toll on the mental health of all Key Workers. But shocking new figures have revealed that post-pandemic, the mental health of our nation’s Key Workers is still suffering and even getting worse.

Figures from UK mental health charity, The Laura Hyde Foundation, indicate that the equivalent of one nurse every day tried to take their own life during 2022.

And there have been increases in the numbers of other Key Workers considering suicide.

The charity's latest figures show:

◆ 366 nurses who used its services in 2022 had attempted suicide. This was a rise from 319 in 2021 and 226 in 2020

◆ 47 police officers attempted suicide in 2022, compared to 63 in 2021 and 18 in 2020

◆ 223 paramedics attempted suicide in 2022, up from 158 in 2021 and 79 in 2020

◆ 312 nurses died by suicide between 2013 and 2019

◆ 150 police officers died by suicide between 2015 and 2019

◆ 38 paramedics died by suicide between 2016 and 2019

◆ Key Workers have an approximately 40 per cent higher risk of suicide than the general public

◆ 71 per cent said they were not truthful when they gave reasons for work absence

◆ 44 per cent said they would rather explain away absence as due to musculoskeletal reasons rather than mental health

◆ 53 per cent were “very uncomfortable” taking up employer-based support services

◆ BAME staff were 42 per cent less likely to engage in support for mental health

Laura Hyde, who died in 2016

Charity founder and trustee chair, Liam Barnes, said that the total number of contacts supported in 2022 was 7,288, up from 5,422 in 2021, a rise of 34 per cent. Of these, 3,710 had engaged in suicidal thoughts or activities, compared to 2,152 in 2021.

That number looks set to increase again this year: already in the first half of 2023, 5,131 people have contacted the charity for support.

Liam said: "There are a number of concerns with these latest figures. There are concerns that within ethnic communities, people are finding barriers stopping them from seeking help and we do want to work to help remove those barriers.

“It was also shocking to see that so many people are not being honest about their mental health when it comes to absence from work. People feel shame and worthlessness and would rather say it is musculoskeletal than a mental health issue. Again, we want to remove the stigma around this so that people can get the support they need.

“The fact that 53 per cent of people are unlikely to engage with employer-led services is also worrying. This could be because of fear of letting people down or bullying, but it’s so important for us that we can help people access support at the earliest possible stage."

The charity said the biggest number of calls in 2022 came from nurses, with 2,176 getting in touch, but it also received 742 calls from doctors, 1,402 calls from midwives, 1,324 from medical students, 462 from GPs, 652 from paramedics, 328 from social care staff, 184 from police officers and 18 from firefighters.

Liam set up the Laura Hyde Foundation charity in memory of his cousin, former Royal Navy Nurse Laura Hyde, who died from suicide in 2016.

He said: “The Foundation aims to ensure that all medical and emergency services personnel have access to the best mental health support network available. These are people that are trained to recognise mental health problems in other people, and they know how to hide it when they are suffering themselves. Laura was a perfect example of this: a medical professional hiding her own struggles from her colleagues.”

Mr Barnes said it was vital that politicians and employers took action to tackle poor mental health among Key Workers.

He is not the only one calling for action.

At the Royal College of Nursing congress earlier this year, mental health specialist Chantal Rose said she was treating more of her peers now than ever before during her 25 year career.

Junior doctor Adam Kay, who penned a humorous but eye-opening memoir into his time in the NHS called “This is Going to Hurt”, has also spoken about how suicide and mental health issues should no longer be “brushed under the carpet” within the health service.

Liam Barnes, charity founder and trustee chair

Dr Hugo De La Peña, a UK breast cancer specialist, said Covid-19 had a major impact on his own and colleagues’ mental health and this has been ongoing.

“The spread of mental health problems across the different medical specialties was huge depending on the level of exposure and the type and number of sick patients we all dealt with,” he said.

“I know from the Royal College of Physicians that 25 per cent of doctors sought mental health help during the pandemic. There is no doubt the pandemic has been the biggest challenge we have ever faced. Those feelings of helplessness and feeling powerless are something I don’t want to experience ever again.”

The Department of Health has said that the NHS offers ongoing support for staff through various means and is dedicated to supporting the mental health and well-being of the workforce.

The Royal College of Nursing has recently launched a new set of standards designed to help the mental health and well-being of nurses.

To find out more about The Laura Hyde Foundation, please click here. The Laura Hyde Foundation has released a short, animated film illustrating the mental health crisis within the Key Worker population. It collaborated with creative agency McCann Health and production company Jelly to make the film, called The Feelings: click here to view the film.