Major changes needed to address nurse mental health ‘crisis’

The call comes as part of a new report by the University of Surrey, supported by the University of Exeter and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

“Inadequate work-life balance was reported across all three professions”

Research paper

Led by joint lead authors Professor Jill Maben, professor of health services research and nursing at the University of Surrey, and Professor Cath Taylor, professor of healthcare workforce organisation and wellbeing at the same institution, researchers analysed literature about various interventions for psychological ill-health for nurses, midwives and paramedics.

The report, which identified these three staff groups were “disproportionately” impacted by psychological ill-health, found evidence of a “blame culture” in the healthcare service, and highlighted the impact being under investigation or a complaints process had on an individual.

Further, it found a culture of “serve and sacrifice”, in which nurses, midwives and paramedics put the needs of the service above their own, to their own personal detriment at times.

Moral distress and emotional exhaustion were, researchers said, sometimes caused by a “tension” between upholding the values expected by them as a professional and the “realities of clinical practice”.

Other findings touched on the negative impact of lone working, an overall lack of support from employers and a lack of control over working conditions and patterns.

The report warned that “inadequate work-life balance was reported across all three professions, being a key impact on recruitment and retention of community adult nurses in one review”.

The analysis of existing literature found a “fragmented” system of interventions for healthcare workers.

The researchers concluded that there were many “informal” mental health interventions, and researchers pondered if these havd been created to “plug gaps” in the formal offering for nurses, midwives and paramedics.

Both formal and informal interventions were found to focus on individuals, and were not “profession-specific” most of the time.

The paper called for more joined-up interventions that help “prevent, mitigate and treat” psychological ill-health among staff.

The researchers made a series of recommendations to address the gaps they found in the current support structure.

One of the recommendations was to “prioritise” staff wellbeing, with measures such as access to food, drink, break rooms, parking and “financial security”.

Jill Maben

They also recommended psychological safety be given “equal consideration” to physical safety in the workplace for healthcare staff.

Further, they called for the development of and investment in “compassionate leaders”, for a culture of learning and open communication to be fostered in the NHS and for a recognition that stress and burnout are “common challenges” for staff.

Professor Maben said of the findings: “By addressing these systemic issues, the NHS will not only improve the psychological health of its workforce, but will also enhance the quality of patient care and reduce costs associated with turnover and absenteeism.”

The research team created a guide to help leaders and staff take the recommendations forward.