Tailored support whenever you need it
Mental health among NHS staff is becoming a national issue, with recent news reports highlighting a significant rise in stress-related illness.
However, a wide range of support is now available to staff at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BTHFT) via the Occupational Health (OH) Department.
Amanda Grice, Manager at our Workplace Health and Wellbeing Centre, recently outlined the help on offer to staff in any department around the areas of mental health, stress and anxiety.
She said: “In short, we want all of our staff to feel valued and supported at work, and if there are any concerns impacting upon their mental health, to allow them to benefit from the right support.
“Firstly, we have our Employee Assistance Programme, a service that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to any staff member experiencing problems affecting their psychological wellbeing.
“This service is not just for staff – it can also be accessed by family members who live at the same address as employees of our Trust.
“We also have Mental Health Access to Work, who hold a clinic at the Trust’s Occupational Health (OH) Department every month. And we have our own specialist occupational therapist, Charlotte Walker, who undertakes Occupational Therapy assessments within the OH Department too. Charlotte offers ongoing support for staff affected by issues such as stress and anxiety.
“She also runs training workshops, which any Trust staff member can book onto. For more information, please see the Occupational Health Department’s X page at @BTHFTOccHealth.
Amanda added that if any staff member felt that work was impacting negatively upon their mental health, other avenues of support were available outside the OH Department, including speaking with the Trust’s Freedom to Speak Up team or their trade union representative.
Staff and managers may also wish to refer to the Trust’s Managing Stress at Work Policy and Guidance, which contains practical guidance as well as tools to act on any concerns raised.
Nurses suffering financial hardship (whether they are RCN members or not) can also contact the Royal College of Nursing.
