Mental Health Awareness Week

Whether you work in a hospital or care home, looking after people can be both physically and mentally exhausting. Working long hours, dealing with emotional situations, and experiencing feelings of guilt can all take their toll on your mental health.

It’s normal to feel worried, stressed, lonely or anxious but there are steps you can take to look after your mental health and wellbeing. We have created a list of useful resources and tips that might help you and your organisation.

General Mental Health Tips:

• Get enough sleep – Easier said than done but sufficient rest between shifts will help keep your body and mind strong during the workday!
• Keep your body moving – Movement is important for our mental health. But so many of us struggle to move enough. We know there are many different reasons for this, so this Mental Health Awareness Week we want to help people to find moments for movement in their daily routines. Going for a walk in your neighbourhood, putting on your favourite music and dancing around the living room, chair exercises when you’re watching television – it all counts!
• Reach out to friends and colleagues. It is important to maintain connections with those around you.
• Positive feedback and compliments towards colleagues can really boost morale! It is a great way to make sure staff feel appreciated and supported for their hard work. Use a system such as Radar Healthcare to log compliments within your organisation.

“I believe this system allows us to really create the balance between compliments and complaints and let people know that they are doing a good job. That’s why we chose Radar Healthcare: because it allows us to be more balanced.” – Paul Page, Patient Liaison & Risk Manager, Shropdoc

• Surveying staff feedback can be a great way to gauge how staff feel about their workloads, environment and more.

Self Help Resources

• Samaritans wellbeing support line for NHS and Care Workers.
• Speak to a licensed counsellor in your area.
• Mind UK.
• Combat loneliness and find a social club in your area.
• Mental Health Foundation publications including “How to support good mental health at work”.

Care Workers

• Big Ian – “A Pocketful of Kindness” – A book which focuses on appreciating the work that care workers do within our community.
• Our Frontline – provides 24/7 emotional support with trained volunteers.
• Volunteer opportunities that can support your organisation such as Friends of Care Homes.

NHS Workers

• Contact your local Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub.
• Contact the NHS Staff Support Line with confidential free access from 7:00AM – 11:00PM and open seven days a week.
• Utilise free access to wellbeing apps for registered NHS workers.