A third of mental health and wellbeing hubs set up to support health and social care workers in England have closed, prompting fears that thousands of vulnerable NHS workers are being left without support.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) claimed that one in three mental health hubs launched during the pandemic have shut their doors since government funding ended on 31 March.
The future of a further seven of hubs is also looking uncertain as they have less than a year’s funding left.
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Mental health-related sick days in the NHS increased sharply between 2019 and 2022. NHS England figures showed more than 1.5 million nurse and health visitor days in 2022 were lost due to anxiety, stress, depression and other psychiatric illness.
According to emergency services mental health charity the Laura Hyde Foundation 366 nurses attempted suicide in 2022. Some 36 nurses died by suicide in 2020.
The union called for the government to urgently provide further funding to support the mental health of NHS workers.
RCN director of England, Patricia Marquis, said: “There is a stress and anxiety crisis in this profession – across the NHS and social care – as professionals try to cope and do more with less. When nursing staff need mental health support, they deserve it and should not face barriers and delays.
“If nursing staff can’t access support, how are they going to support their patients? Unsafe staffing levels are putting patients at risk while emotionally draining the nursing staff who are desperately trying to provide the best care they can.
“The government needs to understand that when you invest in nursing staff – including their mental health – you’re investing in patients, their safety and a healthier society.”
Last month the RCN, along with several other bodies including the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, NHS Providers and the British Psychological Society, published an open letter urging health secretary Steve Barclay to commit to the future of the hubs.
The letter said: “Though the hubs were first established in 2021 in response to the trauma brought to the NHS workforce by the pandemic, their purpose has evolved enormously.
“The focus of these services has expanded to address issues including staff retention and turnover, sickness levels, workforce wellbeing, suicide risk and staff burnout.
“The Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs offer a high level of expertise in assessing the needs of NHS and social care colleagues, providing a range of evidence-based interventions to sustain wellbeing. The importance of these services is demonstrated by the fact that demand has increased 72% year on year.”
At the RCN Congress in Brighton this week, members voted for the union to lobby for an integrated suicide prevention programme for the nursing workforce.
Registered mental health nurse Chantel Rose said: “I have more fellow nurses on my caseload than ever before. I could be next. I wish that everyone could normalise speaking about suicide.”
Sean Duggan, chief executive of the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network, said: “While the main brunt of the pandemic is largely over, NHS staff are still facing considerable pressures, such as high demand for most NHS services and high vacancy rates.
“This is coupled with the last NHS survey showing that staff morale is already low, and at a time where anxiety, stress, depression or psychiatric illness is one of the main reasons for staff sickness in the NHS and accounts for about 20% of all sickness absence in the service.”
He said it was short-sighted of the government to cease funding the hubs, as he claimed “every £1 spent on mental health interventions sees a return on investment of £4.20”.
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“Some NHS services will have other support in place, but health leaders will be particularly concerned for those that do not have any support in place. The right support, such as hubs, gives an opportunity for staff to feel safe to talk about their mental health problems,” he said.
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