Your wellbeing through the Covid-19 pandemic | Health Education England East Midlands

Your wellbeing due to the Covid-19 pandemic

We have spoken to many trainees who have been impacted by Covid-19 - the impact is highly individual and with trainees having very different experiences that have affected either themselves, family members, their communities and their colleagues. Wellbeing support provided by our local education providers seems to have been strong through these difficult times but as we return towards the new normal we wish to ensure that we provide a range of support that suits individuals needs.

In order to guide the shape of our support, Dr Chris Hewitt, who is an experienced GP and Associate Postgraduate Dean has considered the evidence from previous traumatic events to develop a briefing paper. This, along with discussions with our specialist medical training Occupational Heath physicians, indicates that a tiered approach to support would seem most appropriate and hence we have adjusted our offer of support to reflect this. This may be updated with time.

The PSW team is here to support you and should you wish to talk to one of our Case Managers they are always willing to do so in confidence. If you are concerned about the potential impact of the pandemic on your training then you may wish to speak to your educational supervisor or TPD in the first instance.

1 - Immediate support needs:

For those with urgent health needs, we can guide you to rapid access help through the NHS mental health providers across the East Midlands. If you no longer feel able to cope or you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please contact the following services:

Northamptonshire: https://www.nhft.nhs.uk/mentalhealth-number
Lincolnshire: https://www.lpft.nhs.uk/contact-us/need-help-now
Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland: https://www.leicspart.nhs.uk/contact/urgent-help/
Derbyshire: https://www.derbyshirehealthcareft.nhs.uk/getting-help/help-mental-health-crisis
Nottinghamshire: https://www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/help-in-a-crisis

There is also advice available by the BPA for doctors including FAQs, adapting to Covid, PPE use, your health and what the BMA is doing during this pandemic: https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/covid-19#adapting-to-covid

2 - Medium support needs:

For those who recognise that the Covid-19 pandemic has adversely affected their wellbeing in some way and are seeking support to understand your situation and assist you in helping to cope then a confidential discussion with our professional counselling, Pro-counselling, may be helpful: see our Flyer for an overview. Please contact the PSW team if you want to discuss further.

3 – General support needs:

Consider seeing your own GP. We in the PSW team have been liaising with GPs across the East Midlands to make them aware of the services that we offer.

4 - Career guidance:

In recognition that the recent events might have triggered some thoughts about alternative career pathways, we would encourage you to discuss this further with your Educational supervisor and/or Training Programme Director who should be able to assist you. We do have a confidential careers advice service for those who would like to talk matters through and help you to come to a thoughtful and balanced decision.

Additional wellbeing links:

The Doctors Mess has recently been brought to our attention as has NHS support. We are also maintaining our links to the national HEE webpage, AoMRC, BMA and GMC, all of which regularly update their information on training matters and which also have information on wellbeing. See links below. Also see guidance for those returning to training during the pandemic: https://www.eastmidlandsdeanery.nhs.uk/trainee/supportt

We hope that the above information is helpful to you. Should you wish to talk to us then please contact us in the PSW team. The below contacts across HEE East Midlands may also be able to help you:

Regional Careers Manager: Sarah Bentley (Careers.em@hee.nhs.uk) (07826908487) (Webpages)

Supported Return to Training (SuppoRTT) Officer: Lynne Cooke (suppoRTT.em@hee.nhs.uk) (Webpages)

NHS Staff Support: Please see further resources for all NHS staff during this difficult time on their Wellbeing Poster - contains 24/7 support via phone/text

Other useful Health Education East Midlands Team contacts:

General Enquiries	Recruitment	Leicester	0116 312 0620	medicalrecruitment.em@hee.nhs.uk
General Enquiries	Programmes	Leicester	0116 312 0670	specialtyprogrammes.em@hee.nhs.uk
General Enquiries	Assessments and Revalidation	Leicester	0116 312 0690	assessments.em@hee.nhs.uk
General Enquiries	Quality	Leicester		quality.me@hee.nhs.uk
General Enquiries	Faculty Support	Leicester	0116 312 0671	esd.em@hee.nhs.uk

A supportive message for our doctors and dentists as we progress through the Covid-19 pandemic from East Midlands based psychiatrist and psychotherapist - Dr Penny Campling

Dr Penny Campling, an East Midlands based psychiatrist and psychotherapist draws from her experience as she talks to us about 'Getting through' these difficult times and the importance of prioritising our wellbeing. Click on the video below (about 20 minutes) or download her podcast (about 35 minutes).