This report includes key findings from a member survey of more than 250 health care leaders, which revealed that nine out of ten respondents are concerned about the long-term impact of Covid-19 on the well-being of their staff. It also raises concerns about workforce shortages.
Many of us have busy lives and with the rise of pressures from the Covid pandemic, tasks and worries can start to build up; leading to a sense of feeling overwhelmed. Ultimately, this can have an adverse effect on our health and well-being.
The Control Influence Accept Model (CIA model) was developed by HR specialist Neil Thompson and social-work lecturer Sue Thompson in their 2008 book, “The Critically Reflective Practitioner” and identifies 3 ways to respond to challenges (as seen in the diagram below):
This model aims to help put things into perspective and clearly identify what is achievable compared to those challenges or tasks which aren’t.
Mindtools.com describe 4 simple steps to use when you’re feeling overwhelmed with a situation:
Describe the situation. What has happened and why has it become difficult? List every aspect of it that makes it overwhelming. An Elephant List exercise might be useful here. This encourages people to be candid about the problems that they are facing – in other words, to name the “elephant in the room.”
Sort and place items on the diagram. Once you’ve completed your list, write each item down on a separate sticky note and place it on the area of the diagram that it belongs in – control, influence, or accept/adapt. You can also use their interactive diagram to do this.
Consider each item in turn. Ask yourself or discuss with your team whether it is something that you could realistically control. Can you solve the problem using existing resources? Or will you need outside help? If you believe you can realistically control even part of the problem, place it in the Control section of the diagram. If you think the situation is beyond your control, consider whether it’s something you can influence. Do you, for example, have useful skills or knowledge that you can provide to someone else to solve the problem? If so, add it to the Influence section of the diagram. Place the remaining problems in the Accept/Adapt part of the diagram.
Take action. When you’re done sorting through the problems, address each section of your diagram in turn, starting with the things that you can control.
To find out more or to identify other tools to combat stress and anxiety click here.
As part of the NHSX Covid-19 response, a national video library has been launched in collaboration with healthcare video provider, Health and Care Innovations.
Health Education England and NHS Education for Scotland have produced joint e-learning on Health Literacy
This Health Literacy e-learning takes approximately 35 minutes to complete. It introduces the importance of health literacy and covers teach back, chunk and check, using simple language, using pictures and routinely offering help. The content relates to both clinical and non-clinical settings and may be used as a refresher for team members or as an introduction for colleagues who are interested in health literacy.
Case study of ‘My Right to Healthcare’ cards which explain the rights of homeless people to accessing GPs
The cards were given to people experiencing homelessness for them to show when registering at a GP surgery. They emphasise that no identification or proof of address or immigration status is needed to register with a GP.
House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, October 2019
This report finds that too often LGBT people are expected to fit into systems that assume they are straight and cisgender. But the Committee has found that deep inequalities exist in health outcomes for these communities and that treating them “the same” as non-LGBT people will not address these poor outcomes. The report finds that too few health and social care providers are actively thinking about LGBT people when they plan their services and that senior leaders are not doing enough to ensure that LGBT-inclusion is hardwired into commissioning strategies. This problem filters all the way down to training, where medics of the future are not taught how to provide LGBT-inclusive treatment. While few people set out to discriminate, training currently sends the message that sexual orientation and gender identity are not relevant to providing “person-centred care”. This is, in fact, essential. At the moment, there seems to be neither the leadership necessary to ensure services are designed to be LGBT-inclusive nor swift enough improvements among staff on the ground.
The DHSC, together with the Cabinet Office, has published this Green Paper setting out proposals to tackle the causes of preventable ill health in England. It signals a new approach to public health that involves a personalised prevention model. It will mean the government, both local and national, working with the NHS to put prevention at the centre of decision-making. These proposals are open for consultation. The closing date for responses is 14 October 2019.
International Longevity Centre UK, May 2019
This report highlights new findings from a recent project to explore the discrepancies in health outcomes experienced by older LGBT people. The research reveals that a lifetime of prejudice and stigma is leading to worse physical and mental health, poorer access to health and social care, as well as greater levels of social isolation and loneliness among older LGBT people. The report calls for action to address health inequalities for older LGBT people through improving the inclusivity of mainstream health and care provision, strengthening the training of health and care staff, and enhancing data collection around older LGBT people and their health and care needs. Click here to view the full report.