“HAVING A SPACE TO GET THINGS OFF YOUR CHEST IS POWERFUL” As we head into the Christmas period, Samaritans Head of Service Programmes, Ben Phillips, explains what the charity’s NHS and Social Care helpline has to offer.
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t’s been 20 months since Samaritans launched its dedicated NHS and Social Care helpline in the United Kingdom.
“One week after it was proposed, the helpline launched - the turnaround to get it staffed and up and running was that quick, it had to be.”
demonstrating a longer term demand for the service as the pandemic continued throughout 2020, and into 2021.
“As the pandemic took hold, and we saw the pressure that NHS and Social Care staff were under, we realised there was a need for a helpline dedicated to supporting these frontline workers,” says Ben Phillips.
IN THE MONTHS THAT FOLLOWED, AS THE PANDEMIC GRIPPED THE COUNTRY, THE CHARITY ANSWERED CALLS FROM SOCIAL WORKERS AND SOCIAL CARE STAFF, AS THEY BATTLED LONG HOURS AND DIFFICULT WORK, OFTEN IN ISOLATION.
“Numbers began to increase, most likely for a couple of reasons,” says Ben, who confirms the helpline was initially pegged as a 6-12 month service.
“Everywhere we turned, these people were being overwhelmed - due to capacity issues, as well as bereavement - and both NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care wanted to see what we, as Samaritans, could do to provide some emotional support.
As time went on, rather than seeing a decline in callers, health and social care staff continued to call the dedicated helpline at a steady pace,
“Firstly, awareness of the helpline was growing, and secondly, people were emerging from the initial thick of the pandemic, and having more time to process their feelings, and recognise internal struggles. “Early on, we were getting calls from people concerned about the unknown,
