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NHS teamwork in the pandemic: how is it for you?

Study asks nurses how COVID-19 has affected the functioning of clinical teams
clinical team working in a pandemic situation requires innovative communication

Oxford Brookes researchers investigate how COVID-19 is affecting communication between nurses and front-line colleagues

clinical team working in a pandemic situation requires innovative communication
The acute care response to COVID-19 has required rapidly-formed clinical teams to overcome communication barriers and jettison established ways of working Picture: Alamy

A research project will investigate the experience of nurses and other front-line healthcare workers in the NHS during the COVID-19 crisis in a bid to inform future pandemic responses.

The 18-month project, led by Oxford Brookes University, aims to understand the short and long-term effects of working in COVID-19 environments on individuals’ well-being and future career plans.

Nurses, nursing directors, and other NHS staff can register to take part in the study, which will take the form of interviews and online surveys.

How teams of clinicians function in a pandemic situation

Project lead Vincent Connelly, said the team was keen to hear the first-hand experiences of NHS staff.

‘COVID-19 has posed unique challenges for the development of teamwork and communication between team members and we are very interested in how team leaders and team members have responded to the challenge over the past year,’ he said.

Traditional ways of working in the NHS

Fellow researcher Stefan Schilling, said the COVID-19 pandemic had undermined many of the NHS’s established ways of team working, something they wanted to explore.

‘For example, working in PPE (personal-protective-equipment) not only risks stifling communication, but also inhibits those important water cooler moments which any team, but especially nurses and doctors working in such a high-stress environment, rely on to get to know each other, provide support and comfort, recharge and vent,’ he said.

The researchers hope to provide a best-practice and educational guide to better inform responses to future pandemics.

More information on the project and how to register can be found here.


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