The Chair of the Trainees Committee of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh has today written to both the Minister and Shadow Minister for Mental Health for calling for improved mental health and wellbeing support for NHS staff.
David Riding, a Manchester-based vascular surgeon registrar said:
“despite COVID placing considerable additional stress on already stretched healthcare workers, trainees throughout the UK are reporting that the pandemic has engendered a real commitment to team working and patient safety.
“Others state that they feel more supported by senior colleagues and NHS management with free parking, better catering, improved availability of psychological support and a much-needed emphasis on the safeguarding of mental health of clinicians making a real difference to the workplace
“It is essential then that these improvements are acknowledged and preserved. The NHS is facing a significant backlog of cases, so I have asked that this welcome focus on the mental health and wellbeing of staff become a permanent fixture of the NHS.
“As a College, we have learned a lot about the psychological factors that directly affect patient care. Our #letsremoveit campaign continues to help colleagues facing workplace bullying and undermining, so we are keen that Ministers and the wider NHS encourage further support now and into the future.”
You can find our own resources of mental health support and wellbeing here.