A number of services are being developed for people working in health and care, which combined will form the Kent and Medway health and care staff wellbeing support hub.
The first of the services sees clinical psychologists and high intensity therapists available on-site to provide support if you work in one of Kent and Medway's acute hospitals and want to check-in on your mental health.
The support is in addition to that already available via your own trusts and organisations.
More details on this service is available below, along with online resources available to NHS staff.
Further information will be published here as more services come online.
On-site mental wellbeing check-ins are available to you if you are working in Kent and Medway's acute hospitals and want to check-in on your mental health.
Clinical psychologists from Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) and high intensity therapists from the county's Talking Therapies (IAPT) services are available on site at:
- Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Canterbury
- Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital, Margate
- William Harvey Hospital, Ashford
- Medway Maritime Hospital, Gillingham
- Darent Valley Hospital, Dartford
- Maidstone Hospital
- Tunbridge Wells Hospital.
Anyone working on the hospital sites can contact their on-site clinicians.
The team is part of extra wellbeing support that is being put in place across Kent and Medway for all people working in health and care, as we continue to tackle Covid-19.
The support is in addition to that already provided for staff via their own trusts and organisations.
www.people.nhs.uk is a national resource set up to help you manage your own health and wellbeing whilst looking after others.
Alongside information about support available to you, the website includes more than short guides to help support you with skills and new ways to improve your experience of work.
The guides were developed with experts and cover topics such as personal resilience, support for line managers and how to run your own ten-minute ‘Pause Space’.
Visit www.people.nhs.uk to find out more.
While it’s normal to struggle at the moment, looking out for signs in yourself and others of more significant distress, can help you or a colleague access support.
NHS South East Leadership Academy has published tips, resources and signposting to help you find the right support for you and your teams, including advice for:
• Understanding your needs
• Working in high-risk areas
• Working remotely and shielding
• Staying well
• Patients and carers
• Bereavement and grief.
You can access these resources via the Academy’s Looking After Our People page.
NHS staff have been given free access to a number of wellbeing apps from now until the 31 March 2021 to support our mental health and wellbeing.
From mindfulness and meditation sessions to help reduce stress and build resilience with Headstart to support to help you to improve your quality of sleep via Sleepio, you just need to use your nhs.net email to download them.
You can find out more via NHS England’s Supporting Our NHS People wellbeing apps page.
Need help now?
Text ‘FRONTLINE’ to 85258 to start a conversation
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Release the Pressure
Text KENT or MEDWAY to 85258 or phone 0800 107 0160 for free confidential support at any time.
Free expert advice from trained counsellors is available for every mental health concern.
Visit Release the Pressure to find out more.
Listening Line - for all NHS staff
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