New Staff Wellbeing Centres to support Team NUH through Covid-19 | Latest news

Recently, in her open letter, Nottingham University Hospitals Chief Executive Tracy Taylor said “our staff are the heartbeat of our organisation and we thank every single one of them”.

We continue to recognise that these stressful, unprecedented circumstances can, and will, have a direct impact on our staff and their safety and wellbeing is paramount. We are working on a continued broad offer of tailored support for staff, including mental health support programmes, psychological support, and practical support.

On 6^th April we opened two brand new Wellbeing Centres, one at the QMC and the other at the City hospital. They are open seven days a week from 8am – 8pm, offering support from Wellbeing Buddies in a comfortable environment where they can rest, recoup, talk and be supported. The spaces are flexible, and staff can use them to suit their needs.

We are grateful to Nottingham Hospitals Charity's 'Help your Hospital Heroes' appeal, which has helped fund the much needed furnishings for these centres. The 'Help your Hospital Heroes’ appeal focuses on providing an increased range of personal wellbeing support for staff. The appeal has so far raised £75,000 since launching on 20^th March. Barbara Cathcart, the Charity’s Chief Executive said “I’m so proud to live in a city where, despite times being tough for so many, the community has rallied behind their local NHS”.

As the appeal continues to raise funds, staff are telling the Trust how they need the funds spending and what they need to support them and their wellbeing. 

Steph Knowles, Lead for Health and Wellbeing at Nottingham University Hospitals said “We have always viewed staff wellbeing as very important, and for that reason we have a long running, nationally recognised programme in place for our staff. The Wellbeing Centres continue to build on this amazing offer at a time of great need”.

Helen Mancini, Assistant Director of Learning and Organisational Development at Nottingham University Hospitals said, “It has been quoted that this is a marathon and not a sprint. The Wellbeing Centres are exactly what staff need during this marathon. Some staff just pop in for a quick drink, others take the opportunity to talk. We have trained volunteers, our own staff from various departments and roles, who can support and signpost”.

All 2500 staff who have accessed the rooms over the last two weeks have said how grateful they are for the resource, the kind donations and chance to talk to peers. Ultimately, the centres are spaces for staff, run by staff, fostering peer support at a time where team work indispensable.