Staff wellbeing support in the NHS

Every NHS employer has an occupational health service and a confidential employee assistance programme. Most add their own wellbeing support on top: psychological support teams, chaplaincy, physiotherapy for staff, rest spaces and peer support. Some regions have staff mental health and wellbeing hubs, and doctors and dentists in England can go to Practitioner Health. What you can get depends a lot on where you work, so start with your trust or health board intranet.

Occupational health

Occupational health (OH) deals with the link between your health and your work. In the NHS it handles pre-employment health checks, vaccinations, needlestick and sharps injuries, and advice to managers when someone is off sick or struggling at work. If your manager refers you, OH will assess you and, with your consent, write a report recommending things like a phased return, changed duties or reasonable adjustments.

Many trusts also run staff physiotherapy through OH, so you can be seen quickly for back or joint problems before they lead to time off. Some have staff psychology services for work-related stress or trauma.

Counselling and the EAP

The employee assistance programme gives you a confidential helpline and short-term counselling, usually run by an outside provider. You contact it yourself, and your employer does not learn who used it. The employee assistance programmes guide explains what is usually included and how confidential it is.

For longer-term help with anxiety, depression or trauma, NHS talking therapies services in England accept self-referral, as they do for any patient. Some areas fast-track health and care staff.

Mental health hubs and specialist services

During and after the pandemic, staff mental health and wellbeing hubs were set up across England to give health and care staff quick access to assessment and treatment. National funding has since changed, and some hubs have closed or been merged into local services, so check whether yours is still running.

Practitioner Health is a free, confidential NHS service in England for doctors and dentists with mental health or addiction problems, and it has extended to some other clinical groups. You can self-refer without involving your employer or GP.

Wales has Health for Health Professionals Wales for doctors and other healthcare staff. Scotland has a national wellbeing hub for health and social care staff alongside board services. In Northern Ireland, HSC trusts provide staff support through their own occupational health and counselling services.

Support on the ward and in teams

Much of the day-to-day support happens in teams:

• Professional nurse advocates and similar roles offer restorative clinical supervision to nurses and midwives.
• Schwartz Rounds bring staff together to talk about the emotional side of care.
• Chaplaincy and spiritual care teams support staff of any faith or none, as well as patients.
• Trauma risk management (TRiM) or similar peer schemes support staff after a serious incident.
• Many trusts have wellbeing champions, staff networks and rest spaces.

No trust is guaranteed to have all of these. Ask your line manager or practice educator what exists locally.

After violence or abuse at work

Assaults and verbal abuse from patients and the public are a real risk in emergency departments, mental health wards and ambulance work. Report every incident on your employer’s reporting system, even a minor one. Reports drive security changes and are needed if police are involved. OH, the EAP and TRiM-style support are all available afterwards. The violence at work guide covers your rights and the employer’s duties.

Raising concerns safely

Every NHS trust in England has a Freedom to Speak Up guardian, an independent route for raising concerns about patient safety, bullying or anything else that gets in the way of good care. Whistleblowing law legally protects speaking up about wrongdoing in the public interest. Your union rep can support you through the process too.

When you need time off

If your health means you need time off, you can self-certify for the first seven calendar days and then need a fit note. Doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists and physiotherapists can issue fit notes. NHS occupational sick pay rises with service up to six months’ full pay and six months’ half pay, explained in NHS sick pay.

Long or repeated absence usually triggers your employer’s attendance policy. Using wellbeing services early, and telling OH about anything that affects your work, gives you a better footing in those meetings. If the cause is workload, staffing or the way you are being managed, the burnout guide covers how to raise it formally.