Barriers to Staff Seeking Support before Staff Reach Crisis
Authors: Turner, G., Luce, A. and Bush-Evans, R.D.
Pages: 18-38
DOI: 10.1201/9781003501558-2
Abstract:National Health Service (NHS) staff experience mental health challenges due to factors such as burnout, heavy workloads, exposure to trauma and insufficient support. Healthcare professionals often encounter barriers when seeking help and are less likely to pursue professional mental health support. This study, conducted after the suspected suicides of 11 current and former employees between 2019 and 2021 at an NHS Trust in England, aimed to explore the perceived barriers to seeking support faced by staff members. Semi-structured interviews were held with 29 participants affected by the loss of a colleague. The findings revealed that staff identified significant obstacles to seeking help, including stigma surrounding mental illness, workplace trauma, organisational culture, confidentiality concerns and limited access to support. Many staff members in need of assistance did not seek help within the workplace. The barriers to seeking support were found to impact both individual staff members and the overall organisational culture. Based on these findings, a ‘Seeking Support Framework’ has been developed as a general, adaptable guide for improving support in the workplace.
Source: Scopus
Barriers to Staff Seeking Support before Staff Reach Crisis
Authors: Turner, G., Luce, A. and Bush-Evans, R.
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 9781003501558
DOI: 10.1201/9781003501558-2
Abstract:National Health Service (NHS) staff experience mental health challenges due to factors such as burnout, heavy workloads, exposure to trauma and insufficient support. Healthcare professionals often encounter barriers when seeking help and are less likely to pursue professional mental health support. This study, conducted after the suspected suicides of 11 current and former employees between 2019 and 2021 at an NHS Trust in England, aimed to explore the perceived barriers to seeking support faced by staff members. Semi-structured interviews were held with 29 participants affected by the loss of a colleague. The findings revealed that staff identified significant obstacles to seeking help, including stigma surrounding mental illness, workplace trauma, organisational culture, confidentiality concerns and limited access to support. Many staff members in need of assistance did not seek help within the workplace. The barriers to seeking support were found to impact both individual staff members and the overall organisational culture. Based on these findings, a ‘Seeking Support Framework’ has been developed as a general, adaptable guide for improving support in the workplace.
Source: Manual