NHS Forth Valley – Staff Support and Wellbeing

In NHS Forth Valley we care about the health and wellbeing of our people. Our staff are currently working in very challenging times. It is important that we look after ourselves and each other. This section provides you with details of support and listening services available to all staff.

For wellbeing resources to support yourself, your colleagues and your staff visit the Wellbeing Resources page.

National Wellbeing Hub

A new national wellbeing hub will enable staff, carers, volunteers and their families to access relevant support when they need it, and provides a range of self-care and wellbeing resources designed to aid resilience as the whole workforce responds to the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19). You can access the National Wellbeing Hub here. You can contact the hub by phone on the Wellbeing Helpline on 0800 111 4191.

Psychological First Aid

Psychological First Aid via telephone can be accessed directly by phoning the National Wellbeing Helpline for Staff 0800 111 4191.

Staff can have 3 sessions by phone for support and then referred on locally if they need more.

You can also access Psychological First Aid within NHS Forth Valley via referral from your GP.

Mental Health Workforce Service

All regulated NHS and care staff working as part of the Scottish workforce can access to a new specialist service offering confidential mental health assessment and treatment. The Workforce Specialist Service is delivered by experts with experience in treating a range of issues such as stress, anxiety, depression or addiction, with a focus on the impact this may have on a person’s work.

You can find out more and how to access the service here or you can email prac.health@nhs.net or call 0300 0303 300. (Monday – Friday 8am-8pm, Sat 8-2pm)

Keep Well

Keep well NHS Forth Valley are currently offering confidential support through these challenging times for NHS staff who are working and NHS staff shielding, as well as associated services e.g. Serco. We will provide support from our Life Coaches, Jackie and Janet, including our Occupational Therapist, Pat. They have extensive experience supporting and guiding people through challenging life events, who may be experiencing increased levels of stress.

We can tailor our support to suit your needs and can either offer 1-1 telephone support or if you prefer we can arrange a “Near Me” face to face video call. Our service can also signpost you to other services to support your current situation.

To access this support, please telephone or text using the numbers below:

Jackie: 07909002795
Janet: 07776452563
Pat: 07929866506

Staff Wellbeing During a Pandemic & Beyond

There are a number of resources available to support wellbeing, which apply during a crisis and beyond. These are freely available and can be used by individuals or within peer groups to support each other. Help and support is out there and it is not a sign of failing or weakness to access this.

An overview of some of the available resources to support wellbeing aimed at health and social care staff can be found here.

Scottish Ballet

Scottish Ballet has partnered with NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government to deliver online workshops to help Coronavirus frontline workers with mental wellbeing.

Health at Hand opens NHS Scotland’s Focus on Wellbeing programme, with more than 1100 staff signed up to participate in the sessions.

The programme aims to energise staff and alleviate the pressures that frontline workers face, through movement and breath.

Addressing the physical and mental stress for those working in the NHS and social care services, Scottish Ballet has created a series of 10-minute videos titled Energise, Rejuvenate, Relaxation (for the start, middle and end of shifts, respectively).

For staff experiencing trauma and more stressful situations, a longer, 20-minute Restore session is available.

Coaching

Staff in all areas within NHS Forth Valley can access coaching. We have accredited coaches who can provide a confidential safe space and an opportunity where you have time to think and reflect on your thoughts and feelings. Coaching can support you with your health and wellbeing to increase resourcefulness and resilience in times of stress. Coaching can be face-to-face or remotely by phone, or video conference.

If you are interested in having a coach, please email margaret.kerr4@nhs.scot or liz.walker@nhs.scot, or phone 07854447015.

External online coaches can also be accessed via the National Wellbeing Hub, which is supported by NES. To find out more go to www.knowyoumore.com/wellbeingcoaching.

Coaching for Wellbeing – free coaching service open to all working in health and social care – more sessions available.

Project Lift

If you want to be more active in caring for your health and wellbeing during Covid-19, but are not sure what to focus on who to ask for support then a wellbeing coach could help. It could help you make the most of your strengths during this time, preserve your energy as much as possible and could also help in supporting your team or colleagues.

If interested you may want to explore taking up one of the free coaching options in the new Coaching for Wellbeing service available now. Designed specifically to support all health and social services staff in Scotland during the Covid-19 pandemic, this is open to anyone at any level and in any role in the system.

To find out more and register for this free coaching for wellbeing service, click here to access the coaching platform and find out more.

Virtual Staff Room

The Virtual Staff Room (VSR) is a space for you to spend time with colleagues online while we can’t connect in person. This has been running for staff who were in the shielding group throughout the pandemic, but we would like to invite any colleagues who are at increased risk of covid and would like to meet peers who are facing similar challenges to join us.

We meet on a Thursday evening at 7pm, and there is also an MS teams site which you can join where we can chat, share problems and solutions and support one another.

How do I join in?

If you would like to join one of the sessions in the Virtual Staff Room, click on the link below which will open the channel in MS Teams. When the session opens, a button will come up to join the meeting, click on this and you will be able to join the session remotely.

Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

To join the MS Teams page, please email sarah.miller25@nhs.scot or Johnny.keenan@nhs.scot.

Medical Peer support

Forth Valley Medical Peer Support Network provides peer support for non training grade secondary care doctors working in NHS Forth Valley (e.g. Consultant, Staff grade, Associate Specialist, Specialty Doctor). It is provided by a group of trained senior Doctors who are willing to listen to and talk with a colleague seeking peer support. The conversation is confidential and no records are kept. You can find more information about the service, who the Peer Supporters are and how to contact your chosen Peer Supporter on the Medical Peer Support page of the staff intranet.

Medical Peer Support FAQs

Peer Support Service for Doctors-in-Training (DiT)

We have our very own peer support service for doctors-in-training. This service aims to provide a non-judgemental listening ear if you are having problems or experiencing tough situations in life. We also highlight resources or services that might be helpful. This service is completely confidential.

There is a peer support account (fv.DiTsupport@nhs.scot) you can email which can only be accessed by the peer supporters.

Alternatively, you can choose to email us individually. One of us will get in touch with you within 48-72 hours, Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm. We can then arrange to meet in person or talk over the phone.

Menopause Awareness

The menopause matters for us all. In this collection of short videos, Ruth Devlin aims to encourage open discussion of the menopause, and provide information for anyone wanting to find out more. Try the new resource here.

Spiritual Care and Support

The Spiritual Care Service provides a safe and confidential space for staff to talk about what’s going on for them at moment – either by phone or face-to-face in the spiritual care centre at FVRH. To access support, please phone the spiritual care office on 01324 566071 during office hours or email fv.spiritualcare@nhs.scot.

Online Stress Control Classes

Many of you will be familiar with Stress Control which runs throughout the year for staff and residents. Whilst we are currently unable to access this you can view similar information on managing anxiety and stress via Step on Stress which has been produced by NHS Fife Psychology Service. It is recommended that to get the maximum benefit from this course to watch all four sessions in running order (1-4).

Accessing Support

We recognise that on occasion staff may need to access support outwith their own health board. If you think this would be helpful or applies to you please discuss this in the first instance with Robert Clark, Employee Director by email at robert.clark4@nhs.scot or phone on 0773 679 9350, or Elaine Bell Head of Human Resources at elaine.bell@nhs.scot.

Trickle

Sign Up to NHS Forth Valley on the Trickle platform. Trickle is a mobile/web app that gives staff a voice: to highlight things that work well, suggest changes and see the feedback as ideas are shared and discussed. It takes no more than 60 seconds to get up and running, and you are guided through the process of logging in to either the web or mobile apps using this link.

The Team ID you need to sign in to the mobile app for the first time is: nhs-forth-valley.

NOTE: The PIN code process to sign in is only needed the first time you use the web or mobile apps.

Once you’re logged in, get involved! This is your chance to share ideas, start conversations and vote on what is most important to all staff in NHS Forth Valley. We can then use this to make things better for patients, colleagues, and ourselves.

Trade Unions and Professional Bodies

Many Trade Unions and Professional Bodies are offering additional support resources and services at this time. Contact them to find out what is available.

National

Royal College of Nursing – 0345 772 6100
Royal College of Midwives – 0300 303 0444
Unite the Union – contact for Forth Valley is Sandy Smart, Regional Officer – 01315569676/07810157927
UNISON – membershipassistancescotland@unison.co.uk
British Dietetic Association – 0121 200 8080
(British Dietetic Association, 3rd Floor Interchange Place, 151-165 Edmund Street, Birmingham, B3 2TA)

Local

Royal College of Nursing – Hilary Nelson – 07790930470
UNISON – Karren.morrison@nhs.scot, 01324567239
British and Irish Orthoptic Society – Laura McCartney
(Orthoptic Department, Falkirk Community Hospital)
Society of Radiographers – aileen.graham@nhs.scot
GMB – Nick Hill nicholas.hill@nhs.scot, 07554737972

Scottish Government Toolkit

Are you an NHS staff member experiencing financial hardship during COVID-19?

Please remember if you are experiencing financial hardship yourself then you can also get support from Scotland’s Citizens Advice helpline. You can find out information about accessing your local money advice service through the local authority in which you reside by checking out your council website.

The National Wellbeing Hub also has financial advice on their website to help cope with money worries at home.

Domestic Abuse

If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic abuse or other forms of violence and control at home, support and services are still available and operating.

If you don’t feel safe at home, you should visit the National Wellbeing Hub for a list of useful contact numbers and resources.

Please also see our policy on Gender-Based Violence.

COVID-19 Staff Wellbeing Surveys

The COVID-19 Resilience Project

NHS Forth Valley is participating in a national online survey to explore the immediate and longer term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological and emotional wellbeing of NHS staff. The COVID-19 Resilience Project is a UK-wide confidential survey of NHS staff whose job role involves care provision and patient contact (including face-to-face, telephone, or online contact). This research is being led by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Manchester and the findings will be used to inform the development of mental health and wellbeing support services for NHS staff now and in the coming months.

To take part click here. The survey will take around 30mins to complete. To help record recruitment from our NHS Board, it would be helpful if you could include our name on the survey when prompted, even if it’s an abbreviation.

For more information, see poster or visit the study website.