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Mental health: charity’s helpline receives highest number of calls from nurses during COVID-19

A fifth of more than 800 calls to Our Frontline support service made during pandemic

A fifth of more than 800 calls to Our Frontline during the pandemic were from nurses requesting support for anxiety, bereavement, isolation and stress

A fifth of more than 800 calls to Our Frontline during the pandemic were from nurses requesting support for anxiety, bereavement, isolation and stress
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A national pandemic helpline set up to help front-line workers with mental health support received more calls from nurses than any other group, new figures show.

A fifth of the more than 800 calls made to Our Frontline 24/7 phone and text line in the past two years were made by nurses requesting support for anxiety, bereavement, isolation and stress.

Consequential impact of nurses’ mental health cannot be ignored

The phone line, set up in partnership by Mind, Hospice UK and the Samaritans, offers round-the-clock emotional support for workers who have been on the front line during the pandemic.

Head of clinical leadership at Hospice UK Anita Hayes said it was vital nurses can care for themselves, as well as their patients.

‘We know that it is not always easy, but it is important that healthcare staff, especially nurses, take time for themselves and reach out for help when they need it. Speaking to someone on the phone for ten minutes can make a big difference,’ she said.

‘We know that dedicated nurses are all too often more likely to put the demands of their work above their own well-being, and the consequential impact on their mental health cannot be ignored.’

NHS staff survey shows half of UK registered nurses unwell due to work-related stress

The largest group of people who accessed the helpline called from hospitals and acute NHS trusts, followed by social care professionals and community workers, the charity said.

The latest NHS staff survey shows that half of registered nurses in the UK reported feeling unwell as a result of work-related stress. The number has risen by 10% since 2016.

Last week, NHS England launched a campaign encouraging people to come forward for talking therapies to help with stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns.

But the RCN’s professional lead for mental health Stephen Jones said that any campaign needed to be matched with resources and ‘the work-life balance that nursing staff deserve’.

‘We’re hearing that more staff than ever are feeling anxious and stressed about the lack of staff, about making mistakes, not being able to deliver care to the level they expect to, and that they feel guilty about taking time off,’ he said.


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