Mental Health support guidance managing teams

1. # Guidance for Managers in supporting the psychological needs of their staff As we move into the next phase of the Covid-19 NHS response we thought it would be helpful to share this information with all managers / team leads so that they can think about the needs of their teams and staff, as well as thinking about their own wellbeing. Dr Martha Laxton-Kane, Consultant Clinical Psychologist here at Chesterfield Royal Hospital and Andy Picken, Workforce Health and Wellbeing Lead have produced some guidance for managers around thinking about the needs of their team and staff. We have outlined: 1.Common Psychological Responses 2.Importance of looking after yourself as a manager 3.Suggestions and Guidance for Managers. 1. Common Psychological Responses: The table below outlines common responses for all of us in a highly demanding / stressful situation throughout the different phases during the pandemic. This is regardless of our role or position. The responses and reactions are all normal and understandable feelings and responses to this situation. There are of course many other responses as well, and people may fluctuate throughout the day or weeks. The chart outlines just some of the common feelings and reactions. Whilst generally we may move through the preparation, active and recovery phase, we may go back and forth and some people may get to one stage before another person. DIFFERENT PHASES Active Phase: Solutions and Engagement Preparation, Anticipatory Anxiety Active Phase: Exhaustion Recovery Phase: Long-Term Impacts Planning, high levels of anxiety. We may not feel prepared. We might rush decisions due to tight Increased camaraderie with staff working together, rising to the challenge. We might lack the headspace to think things through. In full go mode, some of us on 'automatic pilot'. Danger of us neglecting physical and psychological self. Distress: not being able to Beginning to reflect on the whole experience whilst 'still in it'. Most of us will 'come through' and cope in some way having used 1

2. time pressures. We have mainly passed this stage now. Might feel frustrated and confused in our new setting / way of working as things are designed quickly. May feel out of control about things we have witnessed / decisions we have had to make in ways we have never done before. Disagreements may arise as we all feel tensions and pressures. Sometimes not the time for our usual thought out / considered responses and we might be more snappy than usual. Work-life tensions may arise as home life is also likely to be come unsettled. Main focus on 'getting things done'. We might be enjoying new challenges in new roles, enjoy meeting new people. Anxiety about us and our family and friends becoming poorly and loss of contact respond in our usual way to death and dying. Some of us may feel emotionally disconnected from work, experience compassion fatigue and may even engage in avoidant or unhelpful coping strategies. Likely tensions and stresses for many of us balancing home-life demands. Smaller things may trigger reactions. Stress can accumulate. Many of us are likely to know someone who has been very poorly or passed away and not been able to grieve in the usual way whilst also 'keeping going' can begin to feel quite jaded. Wanting to know when its going to end / what are the plans. Continued anxiety about the future. our preferred coping styles. We might be beginning to think what we could have done differently - or not - and we might feel differently about our jobs and may even experience some resentment. Some of us may be more at risk of chronic psychological difficulties due to the accumulative stress, losses or exhaustion. Table 1: Common reactions throughout the different phases of a pandemic situation, adapted from BPS Covid 19 Staff Wellbeing Group, 2020 2. Suggestions and Guidance for Managers for the active and recovery phases. Importance of teams and managers. In many ways during a traumatic situation and as we go through the different phases, the role of managers and the part our own teams can play is the most important aspect in terms of recovery and coming through the episode with staff maintaining their mental wellbeing. Research tells us that well-functioning teams with good communication systems and visibility of managers will fare better when under extreme pressure. Acknowledge different coping styles. Acknowledging that everyone has different coping styles is really helpful so that people don’t feel different or that their reactions are unusual in anyway. During the pandemic we may well see more extreme reactions which are all understandable given the extreme pressures and rapidly changing situation. 2

3. Normalise feelings and responses. Acknowledge that different responses, reactions and feelings are normal for the given situation. Sometimes we can’t do anything about it, but listening and telling someone that their response / feeling / reaction are normal to the situation is really helpful in itself. Allow time. Allow time for staff to offload and express themselves. At the moment anyway that we can help to maintain regular peer support and support usual coping strategies is better than a new or unfamiliar method (unless of course that is what someone is choosing). As a team you might decide to have a formal or informal session as a way of getting together and offloading / reflecting on the experience – but nothing should be forced, think what is best for your team. It is often better for this to happen within existing teams / support networks and might be a time at the end of a shift. Individual Support. The Trust is offering a range of support options. These are an offer for those that would like to take it, but it is not mandatory. Everyone has different coping strategies and will find different things helpful at different times and stages. When people are very distressed. Most people will return to some sense of ‘normality’ using their usual coping responses and strategies. For a small few they may find that later on they have quite a different reaction and experience more significant mental health difficulties. In such cases, it is likely that you as a manager are more likely to notice this. At this point you may want to encourage the staff member to take up Resolve or other staff support options or if you are really concerned talk to your HR partner for advice. Looking after yourself as a manager. Finally, as a manager who is busy running a shift or a team or a service, you are likely to be in the centre of lots of different demands, concerns and stresses. So do look after yourself. All these responses are what many of us regardless of our role is likely to experience. Some managers may find it helpful to have some peer supervision / buddy up with another manager. Also all the support services that CRH are offering are open to everyone, regardless of their role. Further information about leadership during Covid-19 is available on the joined up Derbyshire website, there is information about managing conversations about new roles, sustain staff wellbeing and meeting the psychological needs of your team. https://joinedupcarederbyshire.co.uk/staff-support/leadership FOR INDIVIDUAL SERVICES AND THE LATEST SUPPORT SEE OUR HEALTH AND WELLBEING SECTION OF THE INTRANET From the intranet homepage click the tab ‘Health and Wellbeing’ to open all information https://intranet.chesterfieldroyal.nhs.uk/staff_wellbeing/index CRHFT.Wellbeing@nhs.net Royal Wellness Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpabBN5DI6Zl-RngpaGA1pA 3

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