Supporting staff mental health
How the trust can support staff mental health
In recognition of World Mental Health Day, we’re sharing a series of short blogs signposting resources and information about protecting your mental health while at work. So far, we’ve covered self-care tips for getting through winter, and the support you can expect to see from your line manager at NCH&C. In this final article, we’re exploring how the trust can support you.
Mental health is something we take very seriously at NCH&C. It is one of our five wellbeing priorities (along with MSK, menopause, flexible working, and wellbeing training), outlined as part of our dedicated wellbeing strategy.
Supporting the mental wellbeing of our staff is vital: to provide outstanding care, we need our teams to be well-rested and emotionally supported. Here are just a few of the initiative the trust has in place to support staff.
Mental Health First Aiders
To ensure that all staff can easily access in-person mental health support, we aim to train 10% of our workforce as Mental Health First Aiders (around 200 team members).
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a training course which teaches people how to identify, understand and help someone who may be experiencing a mental health issue. MHFA won’t teach you to be a therapist, but it will teach you to listen, reassure and respond, even in a crisis – and even potentially stop a crisis from happening.
NCH&C has four MHFA trainers, and we are still seeking applications from staff that would like to become Mental Health First Aiders. You’ll need to be patient, tolerant, and resilient. You’ll also need to get your manager’s consent: the upfront training time is two days, along with ongoing MHFA catchup and support sessions.
If you would like to find out more about Mental Health First Aid, head to the latest edition of Weekly Messages for more detail.
Team Time
The trust is also able to facilitate Team Time sessions for teams that want to reflect on challenging experiences together.
Based on the principles of Schwartz Rounds, Team Time is a type of reflective practice held virtually (over MS Teams). You will be joined by a trained facilitator from within the trust who will carefully manage the conversation to ensure it is a beneficial and supportive experience for all on the team. You can find out more about Team Time in the ‘How Are You Really?’ resource for managers.
The trust’s first Wellbeing Guardian
Earlier this year, we were thrilled to welcome our first Wellbeing Guardian to the trust.
Graham Nice, who also serves on NCH&C’s board as a Non-Executive Director, will now act as an advocate for health and wellbeing in the trust at board level. This involves challenging executive decision-making to ensure wellbeing is at its heart and connecting with staff across the trust.
You can find out more about Graham’s role as Wellbeing Guardian in this short video.
Dedicated Wellbeing Inbox
In case you didn’t realise, NCH&C has a dedicated Wellbeing Team, made up of a small number of colleagues from the HR department. As well as organising many of the trust’s wellbeing initiatives, they can also respond to any enquiries about wellbeing and mental health, or direct them to the right place. Contact Wellbeing@nchc.nhs.uk for more information or support.