Resources supporting our mental health and wellbeing

Covid-19

A key theme from the feedback we have received through our Leading through Covid-19 work is about how you can manage both your own mental health and wellbeing during difficult times and the wellbeing of others. Issues you’ve told us about include increased anxiety, dealing with uncertainty, and sustaining resilience. There are many online resources available to help; some will suit some people and some others, depending on personal preference.

We’ve collected some examples of resources to support the mental health and wellbeing of both individuals and teams working across health and care. It’s not an exhaustive list but it does demonstrate different ways to access help and guidance. We will update these resources on a rolling basis.

The resources

Learn 4 mental health

This website provides guidance on creating a ‘wellbeing plan’ to help you proactively think about the tools that you can use to promote good mental health. The site was developed by mental health practitioners and people with lived experience and is co-funded by NHS England.

How are you feeling NHS? toolkit

This site helps you check on your own emotional wellbeing and offers suggestions about having regular, open conversations with colleagues about emotional health. It also helps you consider the impact emotional wellbeing might have on yourself, your colleagues and your patients. The toolkit was designed by NHS Employers with NHS staff.

NHS – supporting our people

This website details confidential support lines, provided by the Samaritans and Hospice UK, offering support for stress and bereavement. There is a virtual space called, ‘The staff common room’ where you can come together virtually with others for support. The resource includes wellbeing apps that are available free to NHS staff until December 2020.

Rethink Mental Illness

Rethink has an online information hub with practical support and information on managing physical and mental wellbeing including blogs from people with lived experience of mental illness, carers and health and social care professionals.

Which resources have helped you?

Please feel free to share any resources that have helped you in the comments below.

For more on Leading through Covid-19

Active project

Leading through Covid-19: supporting health and care leaders in unprecedented times

The health and care system has faced a huge challenge over the past year. These resources are aimed at leaders working in the NHS, social care, public health or the voluntary and independent sector. We want to hear about the challenges you are facing, to help us shape the resources we produce and ensure these are practical and useful.

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Comments

We recently published a page about health recovery after Covid-19: https://topnurse.info/additional-resources/taking-care-of-mental-health…

The page is about some common physical and psychological challenges some people may experience after being discharged from hospital to continue their recovery from COVID-19.

Many years ago I discovered a great site called No More Panic. Its strength is its well-moderated forums, which cover anything from finding someone awake on the other side of the world when you need a chat in the middle of the night, to sensible comments from other members when you have health anxiety.
There is a forum for people on various medications, and conversations about every possible mental health worry /concern. I've never seen any bad advice on there - the most frequent being DO NOT GOOGLE!!!!
This was a hugely supportive environment for me at a time when I was incapacitated with panic following severe workplace bullying in an Academy school.
I would really, really recommend this site (and often do!)

The Association of Clinical Psychologists UK is offering free one-to-one support to senior managers and ICU consultants from senior and consultant grade clinical psychologists during the Covid-19 pandemic. Please visit our website if you are in need of help with anxiety, stress, depression, burnout or any psychological difficulty caused by, or worsened by the crisis.
https://acpuk.org.uk/covid_response_senior_colleagues_support/

We developed Thrive at Work a comprehensive commitment and toolkit to help employers support the mental health of their workforce. There is no charge for the programme or toolkit. www.wmca.org.uk/thriveatwork and since the outbreak of COVID 19 we have developed Thrive at Home, a toolkit of resources for both employers and employees to manage their mental health and wellbeing during the lock down phase. This too is a free resource. https://mhpp.me/thrive-at-home/ which was developed as part of the Mental Health and Productivity Pilot which is funded by Midland Engine

We have published a LIVE WELL GUIDE. The manual has been developed over a period of 2 years. We delivered the first edition during 2018 with funding from TNLCF. During, that time we learned exactly what the community needed to stay fit and healthy at home. In line with the NHS long-term plan and social prescribing we have spent the last year re-designing and developing this Guide with the support of our beneficiaries, industry leaders and local community members. We now have a dynamic, 120-page easy to follow support plan that covers; eating well, breathing well, hydrating well, CBT, emotional resilience, recipes, home based exercise plan and stretches amongst other useful information to stay fit and well from the comfort of your home. The timing is fortuitous in that the guide is finally ready to launch and we feel it would be indispensable for the majority of people that are currently self-isolating during these unprecedented times, especially the most vulnerable and isolated. This guide is essential for so many. We would love to know how to make this more widely available???