Mental Health

• NUH is an Equal Opportunities Employer. This means that we recruit, train and support our staff on the basis of their skills and experience. We do not discriminate against staff on the basis of a mental or physical disability.

• NUH has signed the Time to Change Workforce pledge to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues at work. Organisations who take the Pledge and put their Action Plan in place have found that employees report feeling more supported about issues concerning mental health, are more willing to disclose their personal lived experience, and are more confident about making managers and colleagues aware of their experience.

• NUH is a Mindful Employer. This means that we take an active and positive approach to mental health and we have information packs for staff on staying mentally healthy at work and for managers  (click here) on supporting staff experiencing mental health problems.

• Several of our policies support staff mental health and take a proactive and preventative approach, including the Work-life Balance policy (click here) and the Wellbeing and Attendance Management (click here) policy.

• Our Staff Mental Health Shared Governance Council is a team of NUH front-line staff from a variety of professions and banding levels that are passionate about improving staff mental health and making long-term, sustainable changes within the Trust. To find out more, contact the staff wellbeing team here.  

Everybody needs to take care of their mental health on a regular basis. You might have considered taking out a gym membership to take care of your physical health. What do you do day-to-day that looks after your mental health? Get expert advice, practical tips and a personalised action plan from the NHS Every Mind Matters website Every Mind Matters - NHS (www.nhs.uk). 

1. Talk to them. Ask how they are feeling. You don’t need to be an expert and you don’t need to have all the answers, but showing that you are willing to listen can make a significant difference.

2. If you’re not sure what to say, have a look at the advice from Time to Change on ‘How to support a colleague’ (link here) and Samaritans on ‘How to have a difficult conversation’ (link here). Also, encourage them to look at this page so that they are aware of the support available.

3. If you think that someone may be in mental health crisis, follow this advice: [https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/mental-health-services/dealing-with-a-mental-health-crisis-or-emergency/].

• Staff Wellbeing Courses- see our upcoming courses here

• Employee assistance programme - Please use the access code when downloading the app: MHA089937

• Self-referral or managers referral to Occupational Health service

• Spiritual and pastoral care

• NHS employers toolkit

• Quiet spaces - 3D City Wellbeing Locations.pdf [pdf] 652KB 3D QMC Wellbeing Locations.pdf [pdf] 358KB

• Burnout toolkit for managerial staff  Staff Burnout a toolkit for managers.pdf [pdf] 2MB

• Burnout toolkit non-managerial staff  Staff Burnout toolkit.pdf [pdf] 1MB

• Suicide awareness and prevention toolkit  Suicide Awareness Toolkit v2.pdf [pdf] 1MB

• Bereavement Leaflet-  Bereavement leaflet v2.pdf [pdf] 2MB

• Occupational health – email nottmocchealth@nuh.nhs.uk

• Leading a Healthy Workforce – half day training course for managers at NUH on how to develop supportive management behaviours and supporting staff with mental health issues.

• Union and staffside reps:

•  Helen.inskip@nuh.nhs.uk (staff side chair)
  Andrew.clayworth@nuh.nhs.uk (jointstaff side vice chair)
  Martin.hallam-benn@nuh.nhs.uk (joint staff side vice chair)

• Visit your GP. You can book an emergency appointment if your symptoms are urgent.

• You can self-refer to a psychological therapies service without seeing your GP. These offer therapies like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for common problems like stress, anxiety, depression, OCD and phobias. Search here to find your local service.

• You can talk to the Samaritans at any time of day or night. Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

• The Mind Blue Light service offers targeted support for staff, volunteers and employers across ambulance, fire, police, and search and rescue teams.

• For urgent, non-emergency medical advice call the NHS 111 advice line. More info here.

• If you live in Nottingham, you can view support available here.

• Bereavement and trauma support line for our Filipino colleagues - There is a team of fully qualified and trained professionals , all of whom are Tagalog speakers, ready to help you. To book a consultation, call:03003031115

• 24/7 Nottinghamshire Mental Health Crisis Line to support people in urgent crisis - call 0808 196 3779.

• NHS Staff Support Line is a confidential, free staff support line, operated by the Samaritans from 7:00am – 11:00pm, 7 days a week. The phone number is 0800 069 6222. Text FRONTLINE to 85258 for support 24/7 via text

• Carers can receive support from the Nottinghamshire carers HUB, more information can be found here:  Tuvida Nottinghamshire Carers Hub 

• In a life-threatening emergency, visit the Emergency Department.

This 1 and a half hour workshop, run by our Staff Wellbeing Clinical Psychologist aims to train staff to offer psychological first aid (PFA).

PFA is a compassionate, supportive, and flexible conversation with another person who is suffering because of a traumatic, upsetting or distressing situation. PFA can help reduce distress and can foster short- and long-term adaptive & healthy functioning and coping.

The workshop allows you to develop your confidence in developing skills and knowledge including :

• How to help a person access their basic needs

• How to facilitate conditions to help a person feel safe,

• How to comfort and console a person

• How to ‘listen’ to a person

• How to help a person feel calmer

• How to help a person connect with others & access information & additional services

• How to help a person to help themselves

There is also a 2 hour version for staff with managerial or supervisory responsibilities.

The REACT-MH technique comprises: Recognise, Engage, Actively listen, Check risk, and Talk about specific actions and is underpinned by psychologically sound principles.

This short REACT Mental Health training session will enable you to

• Identify people in your team who may be struggling with their mental health,

• Initiate a supportive wellbeing conversation,

• Confidently hold the conversation using active listening skills

• Signpost them to appropriate support.

You will gain new knowledge and have a chance to put this into practice during the session.

Would you like to learn more about supporting colleagues, especially when they are having suicide thoughts and feelings?

This workshop aims to help you understand more about suicide, those who are at risk, and the factors that can increase someone’s risk of taking their own life. It covers why it can be scary to talk about suicide, stigma and suicide, and recognising signs. Finally it will offer some helpful ways we can talk to a colleague who might be having suicidal thoughts and feelings and will also provide information for where support can be accessed.   

This is an information giving workshop facilitated by one of our Clinical Psychologists and will last approximately 2 hours.

This half day course has been designed to support NUH in becoming a mentally healthy workplace.

The course is aimed at managers and other staff who have line management responsibilities (such as return to work interviews, pastoral care and appraisals). The course will be a mix of presentations, discussions and practical exercises covering:

• Understanding psychological health at work

• Creating a psychologically healthy workplace

• The impact of supportive leadership behaviour

• How to have a conversation about mental health

• Managing your own mental health

• Sources of support & where to find further information

This two hour workshop aims to get people talking about mental health. We explore what mental health is, how it applies to us all and how to support someone with their mental health.

The course aims to:

• Improve mental health literacy

• Understand stigma and the impact of this

• Recognise the early warning signs

• Look at ways to support yourself and others