LIVING OUR Staff support during COVID-19 gets award nomination Colleagues from Organisational Development (OD), Psychology and Occupational Health, and Practice Education Facilitator (PEF) teams received national recognition at the Patient Experience Network National Awards, for their work on staff support and wellbeing during COVID-19. Our PEF Team was nominated in the Patient Experience Advocate for the Future category. Their Grown Our Own Nurse Programme produced a fantastic first cohort of aspiring nurses who supported qualified colleagues throughout COVID-19. Our OD, Psychology and Occupational Health teams were shortlisted in the Patient Experience Network category, which celebrates the programme of work focusing on staff needs – be that emotional, physical, educational, and
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spiritual – and how this contributes to improved patient experience. The teams opened staff wellbeing hubs, introduced a dedicated staff psychology service and created a digital wellbeing support pack for staff during the pandemic. Dr Jane Hutton, our Consultant Clinical Psychologist, said: “It’s such an achievement to be shortlisted for this award. It was a big team effort and shows how much can be achieved when you come together. “There was so much stress and anxiety at the beginning of 2020. As the year progressed, we were able to reflect on and further develop the support available to our staff. There have been many examples where the support of the staff psychology service has made a real difference to those who may have been in distress.”
