Recent mental health figures reveal that 1 in 7 people in the UK report their mental health is currently at its worst or in a bad state¹. This stark statistic highlights significant mental health challenges within the UK population at large. However, the situation becomes even more critical when considering the mental wellbeing of healthcare workers specifically.

Ross Hodgson, a health and social care expert at Unity Plus examines the root causes and primary stressors contributing to these issues, offering a nuanced perspective on their impact.

Ross highlights the many stressors healthcare professionals encounter: “Today, healthcare professionals navigate a range of complex stressors that significantly impact their mental wellbeing and professional performance. The relentless workload, chronic understaffing, and the growing complexity of patient care are major stress factors.” This stress is evident, as reports indicate that the healthcare sector has the highest majority of workplace stress, with 54% of all cases attributed to workload pressures and emotional demands.

Commenting on workload demands, Ross explains that healthcare workers are frequently burdened with navigating extensive documentation and bureaucratic processes, exacerbated by outdated systems: “This consumes time that could otherwise be dedicated to direct patient care. The administrative tasks significantly contribute to the frustration and disengagement experienced by healthcare workers, who increasingly perceive themselves as ‘office workers’ rather than caregivers. Though costly and perhaps not prioritised, updating such systems could yield substantial improvements not only in the mental health of the workers but also in task efficiency”

Healthcare facilities often operate with insufficient staff due to budget cuts, recruitment challenges, and retention issues. This understaffing requires existing staff to cover more shifts and manage more patients, resulting in longer working hours, fewer breaks, and increased fatigue with little time for rest and recovery.

Ross adds: “Unfortunately, healthcare professionals often choose to work even when unwell instead of taking time off to recover. Reasons for this ‘presenteeism’ include low staffing levels, a sense of responsibility to patients, and reluctance to let colleagues down.  We believe presenteeism is more costly than absenteeism and poses serious risks to staff wellbeing and patient safety. It’s important to highlight these risks and implement interventions to identify and manage factors that contribute to healthcare professionals working while unwell.”

There’s an unspoken expectation among healthcare professionals to be resilient, and admitting to struggles can be perceived as ‘failure’,” says Ross. “This might be surprising, given that you’d expect empathy in this sector. While there is sympathy, healthcare workers still fear judgement, which discourages many from seeking the help they need. Those who do seek help often find that their organisation lacks adequate support due to underfunded employee assistance programs. It’s a vicious cycle that needs breaking. Healthcare organisations must implement robust mental health policies and take real action to support their employees. Prevention is better than intervention!”

These root causes, which subsequently manifest into various mental health challenges, significantly impact both the performance and retention of healthcare professionals, and the widespread awareness of mental health challenges within the profession may also deter potential recruits.

Ross concludes: “The combination of these root causes is not just individualised or circumstantial; they are deep-rooted systemic issues within the healthcare system. Addressing these systemic flaws through comprehensive policy reforms, increased funding, and effective support mechanisms is vital. While we can only hope that the new government will support this, there should be concern around the fact the King’s Speech (on 17th July 2024) did not address the mental wellbeing of mental healthcare workers, especially in relation to Social Care.

“Organisations need to drive this and not just rely on external support to make change, especially as we fear our new government is unable to tackle the root cause of the concern relating to the mental wellbeing of healthcare workers. By doing so, we can improve working conditions and the wellbeing of healthcare workers across the sector.”

www.unityplus.co.uk

Sources:

1. Forth

2. Health and Safety Executive