Posted on: 18 April 2024
Hello, my name is Kerry.
You may have seen recent news reports that NHS England is carrying out a review of the mental health support it provides to doctors, dentists and senior managers in Trusts via the Practitioner Health service. You may also have seen the television drama “Breathtaking,” which told the story of the first six months of the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on staff, particularly frontline workers.
As the clinical lead for the West Yorkshire Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub and a practising consultant clinical psychologist, I want to reassure everyone who works in the West Yorkshire health and care system that our ICB has committed to ongoing funding for our hub as part of the ‘looking after our people’ pillar of our People Plan.
Our work is hard. it takes an emotional toll and asking for support can be a really hard thing to do. Feeling the impact does not mean you are bad at your job or a weak person. It means you care and are overwhelmed. The best thing you can do is find the support that is the best fit for you with the right person. People who work in our Trusts and other NHS organisations, along with many of the other organisations in our Partnership, have access to support via their local occupational health teams and employee assistance programmes (EAPs).
If, for whatever reason, the support available from your organisations does not feel like the best fit for you, an alternative confidential and free range of support services are offered as part of the hub. If you or members of your team feel you could benefit from having a space to focus on you, have a look around our website to see the range of support we can provide. This includes support for people who have experienced or been involved in traumatic events and spaces just to listen to colleagues across our workplaces in the form of Schwartz rounds. This support is available to everyone who works in health and care settings including our voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector.
The hub also has a small team of professionally registered and governed psychological professionals offering a range of one-to-one therapeutic interventions. We personally interview every therapist and work closely together to ensure we remove as many barriers as possible to ensure you get the right support as quickly as possible. Our focus is on short term support for work related distress and events impacting on our working life. Many of us still hold frontline roles or have backgrounds working in health and social care. We understand the unique challenges our work can bring. If you or a colleague are wanting therapeutic support you can complete our self-referral form here.
Don’t wait for the situation to get to a crisis point. Compassionate, understanding, effective, free and confidential support is available now for everyone who works in our system, in and outside the NHS.
For general enquiries about hub services for individuals and teams, contact us on our message-taking service 0800 183 1488 or email wyicb-bdc.
Thanks for reading,
Kerry
What else has been happening this week?
Staff health and wellbeing hub update
The NHS Practitioner Health service will be extended by 12 months, for existing and new people accessing support, whilst a wider review is carried out. The arrangements for the primary care element of Practitioner Health have also been extended for a further 12 months to 31 March 2025.
In West Yorkshire, the Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub is funded by the ICB. The NHS England review does not affect the Hub, which continues to offer a free, confidential range of support services, including individual therapy, to everyone who works in our health and care system. This support is available to everyone who works in health and care settings including our voluntary community social enterprise sector colleagues.
Death certification reform and the introduction of medical examiners
This week, the Government confirmed that legislation to reform the death certification process will be implemented from September 2024, rather than April 2024, as had originally been proposed. The legislation means that from 9 September, medical examiners will look at the cause of death in all cases that have not been referred to the coroner. From that date, it will not be possible to register a death without medical examiner scrutiny, unless it has been referred to the coroner.
Medical examiners will look at the care received around the time of death, confirming that the cause of death is valid. They will also consult with families or representatives of the deceased, providing an opportunity for them to raise questions or concerns with a senior doctor not involved in the care of the person who died. This process will help safeguard future patients by learning from death and being supportive to families and healthcare professionals.
We are still awaiting guidance on the details of the legislation. In the meantime, medical examiners in West Yorkshire continue to work with colleagues across health and care to ensure that the new arrangements are working smoothly so as to minimise disruption to bereaved families.
Increase in Healthy Living referrals and new user registration numbers
Latest referral and user registration numbers to the NHS Healthy Living programme for people with type 2 diabetes saw an increase in January and February 2024 across West Yorkshire.
This follows a GP practice text message cascade inviting eligible patients with type 2 diabetes to sign up for the structured education online programme.
Around 1,500 users completed the registration page in January and February and around 1,200 accounts were activated in the same period.
“Think about the things you can control”
In this short video, Andy Brierley, Head of Access, Participation and Outcomes at Leeds Trinity University and Caroline Burnley, a senior lecturer at Leeds Beckett University, discuss being trauma-informed in our approach with people so we don’t cause more harm. The video is part of a panel discussion recorded on day two of our Adversity, Trauma and Resilience Knowledge Exchange in March 2024.
Inequalities action: Ciaran’s story
Our workforce stories highlight the people working in Bradford District and Craven to reduce inequalities. This is Ciaran’s story. Ciaran works closely with communities and partners across the district to make health checks accessible. In this video he tells us how he has worked with local imam Ali to bring health checks to faith settings like the mosque.
These stories are an example of best practice and a reminder that everyone can play a role in reducing inequalities. Learn more about what we’re doing to reducing inequalities on the Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership website.
Airedale healthcare support worker receives national award for her compassion and commitment to care
Cherie Melvin, a healthcare support worker in Airedale NHS Foundation Trust’s cardiac rehabilitation team, has been awarded the Chief Nursing Officer for England’s Healthcare Support Worker Award.
The award recognises the vital contribution of healthcare support workers and their exceptional support of nursing and midwifery practice.
Find Out How You Really Are for your chance to win rugby league tickets
'Find Out How You Really Are' is a West Yorkshire healthcare initiative backed by five rugby league clubs. It provides the opportunity for people to understand and reduce their risk of developing diabetes or experiencing a heart attack or stroke by visiting the campaign website. For a chance to win two or four tickets to a Castleford Tigers home game in the 2024 season, we’re asking for feedback on the website.
Visit findouthowyoureallyare.co.uk to find out more.