Improved mental health support for frontline workers urgently needed

Frontline healthcare workers need a range of 'flexible', 'easily accessible' and 'consistent' psychological support to overcome the significant mental health burden resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, finds a new study of NHS and community-based staff, led by UCL researchers. In a 'call to action', the team of psychiatrists and psychologists, who formed the 'Covid Trauma Response Working Group', say there needs to be an increase in mental health awareness training for all staff in health and social care settings, supported by more assertive outreach to identify those most in need. In addition, more sustained funding is needed for psychological support services - not just during crises - and equity of access to support needs to be ensured between different teams, services and localities, across the entire health and social care sector. Explaining the study, lead author Dr Jo Billings, Associate Professor at UCL Division of Psychiatry said: "In the UK, it has been estimated that 45-58%* of the frontline health and social care workforce met criteria for clinically significant levels of anxiety, depression and/or PTSD shortly following the first wave of the pandemic. "This is amongst a workforce already under considerable strain pre-Covid-19, as evidenced by the growing incidence of stress, burnout, depression, drug and alcohol dependence and suicide across all groups of health professionals, worldwide.