Health and wellbeing

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Resources

In times of crisis it is more important than ever to prioritise self-care and mental wellbeing. As the outbreak of COVID-19 impacts our communities, SLTs – like other healthcare workers – will be under significant pressure. The RCSLT has curated a wide range of links and resources to help support its members.

Emotional resilience helps us cope with change and manage stress. Resilience is also a quality of leadership – resilient people are better able to shape their environment and perceive change in terms of challenge rather than threat.

The resources in this section are provided for informational purposes only. No endorsement is expressed or implied, and while we make every effort to ensure our pages are up to date and relevant, we cannot take responsibility for pages maintained by external providers.

Need more urgent support? These resources may help.

Building resilience and managing self-care

Helpful tips

  • Set aside time each day to do something just for you! Try something new or pick up an old hobby, practice relaxation techniques or simply just chill.
  • Foster your interests and hobbies outside of study/work and find something that helps you relax, such as mindfulness, yoga, running, walking or singing.
  • Consider what support you might need in the workplace. Always be honest with your employers about how you’re feeling so that they can help you appropriately.
  • Remember to ask for help when you need it. No one wants you to fail; asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of self-awareness.
  • Try new things and do things that take you out of your comfort zone: don’t be afraid to fail.
  • Do a perspective check. Ask yourself: how will I feel about this situation in a year? Will it be water under the bridge?
  • Don’t expect to know everything, especially when starting a new post. Be confident in asking for help/guidance from more experienced/senior colleagues.
  • Build positive connections both in and out of work. Social media can be great in helping you to build a professional network of support.

Want more SLT self-care? Check out these top tips from our members.

Resilience

Self-care

Podcasts

The RCSLT’s learning team met up with Ruth Williams, Clinical Directorate Lead at iCares, in Sandwell and West Birmingham, to talk about the importance of self-care and resilience; and why it’s key to consider what’s going on under the surface for others.

Empathy, self-care and resilience, with Ruth Williams, Clinical Directorate Lead

Working from home

COVID-19 has forced many SLTs to re-plan their work schedule and to work from home. Although this has many benefits, it may also present challenges when it comes to maintaining a balance between work and home life.

Finding the balance

Here are some tips to help you to find a balance when working from home:

  • Structure your day as if it were any other working day, eg plan in when you will have breaks
  • Take a lunch break and enjoy making up something delicious to eat
  • During breaks, turn your laptop off or put it to sleep and mute your phone to minimise work distractions
  • Dress for work (it will help you to get in the zone!)
  • Plan an end of day activity, something which marks the end of the work day and start of the social evening, eg walk the dog, read a book, take a bath

Resources

  • Happiful – Seven steps to successfully working from home
  • Posturite – 10 productivity tips for homeworkers
  • BBC News – Five ways to avoid lockdown eye strain

Information for leaders and managers

Supporting colleagues when working remotely

When working remotely, there are additional things to factor in when considering how to support the wellbeing of your colleagues. This infographic (PNG) contains some key considerations that you may find useful.

In addition to this, we suggest that you:

  • Adhere to any policies and procedures developed by your organisation;
  • Consult any nationally available guidance and support (eg COVID-19 guidance for NHS workforce leaders)
  • Work within the boundaries expected by your employer and the HCPC
  • Maintain communication with your wider clinical and non-clinical colleagues on a regular basis

Supporting your team with health and wellbeing

  • NHS Start Well End Well – Practical approaches for teams to support each other
  • NHS #ProjectM – A range of resources for managers, including peer-to-peer support, advice on keeping your team well and self-care information
  • MindEd’s staff resilience hub brings together the best advice and tips from a large panel of international experts. It also includes a section for leaders and managers.

Support for leaders

Preparing for and managing redeployment

Preparing for redeployment may feel overwhelming. For many, it may be the first time they have been in this situation and it may require quick learning of new skills and re-visiting the evidence-base should the client focus change along with the location or setting.

With redeployment specifically in mind, Dr Ellie Atkins, Chartered Clinical Psychologist (St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundations Trust) has kindly shared her mini-webinars for RCSLT members to access during this time:

Mental health

Resources designed help you to mange your mental health and wellbeing during the pandemic.

Sleep

Resources for others

These resources may be helpful to share with service users, families and carers.

Urgent and crisis support

If you are in need of more urgent support, the following resources are available:

Support line for health and social care workers

NHS People have introduced a confidential staff support line, with free access from 7am to 11pm, seven days a week.

  • For NHS and social care workers in England:
    • Call 0800 069 6222
  • For health and social care workers in Wales:
    • English line – 0800 484 0555
    • Welsh line – 0808 164 2777
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