Staff support during COVID-19 within an Acute Hospital Trust.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has put immense pressure on the National Health Service (NHS) and all healthcare professionals, not only physically but also mentally and the need to fully develop and implement a strategy to protect the mental health of healthcare professionals has never been more urgent. Research has demonstrated that staff can be supported by strengthening teams and offering frequent well-being support. AIMS: To assess the feedback from delivery of a strategy to provide psychological well-being support to NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether this 'Support for Teams' initiative made a positive impact on staff and in what way. METHODS: A mixed methods design was used to gain quantitative and qualitative feedback from staff. Feedback was collected from two groups: Well-being Leads and clinicians providing support and resources to Well-being Leads. Feedback was collected via online forms. RESULTS: Collectively, feedback responses were received from 70 staff members. The majority of staff members felt supported and benefitted from the provisions provided. CONCLUSIONS: This evaluation showed that our healthcare system must continue to proactively implement and adapt staff support strategies to protect the mental well-being of healthcare professionals, both in the context of future health crises and in everyday practice. This study will assist and guide development and adaptations to health and psychological well-being support, ahead of future pandemics and to provide suitable support beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.