The mental health of staff working on Intensive Care Units over the COVID-19 winter surge of 2020 in England: a cross sectional survey.

ABSTRACT

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic generated a surge of critically ill patients greater than the NHS capacity. Additionally, there have been multiple well-documented impacts associated with the national COVID-19 pandemic surge on ICU workers, including an increased prevalence of mental health disorders on a scale potentially sufficient to impair high-quality care delivery. AimTo identify prevalence of probable mental health disorders and functional impairment. As well as establish demographic and professional predictors of probable mental health disorders and functional impairment in ICU staff between November 2020 to April 2021. MethodsEnglish ICU staff were surveyed before, during and after the winter 2020/2021 surge using a survey which comprised of validated measures of mental health. Results6080 surveys were completed, by nurses (57.5%), doctors (27.9%), and other healthcare staff (14.5%). Reporting probable mental health disorders increased from 51% (prior to), to 64% (during) and then dropped to 46% (after). Younger, less experienced and nursing staff were most likely to report probable mental health disorders. Additionally, during and after the winter, over 50% of participants met threshold criteria for functional impairment. Staff who reported probable post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety or depression were more likely to meet threshold criteria for functional impairment. ConclusionsThe winter of 2020/2021 was associated with an increase in poor mental health outcomes and functional impairment during a period of peak caseload. These effects are likely to impact on patient care outcomes and the longer-term resilience of the healthcare workforce.