Category Archives: News

Burnout in healthcare: risk factors and solutions

SOM has published Burnout in healthcare: risk factors and solutions which details the steps needed to help combat the condition, found to be rife in healthcare.

Drawing on research data from a wide variety of sources, the report found that those working in healthcare, such as doctors, nurses and care workers, are particularly prone to experiencing burnout.

According to the 2022 NHS workforce survey, more than a third of healthcare staff report feel burned-out at work, with staff in clinical roles found to be most vulnerable. Further data shows that 54 percent of doctors displayed signs of emotional exhaustion and nearly 40 percent of nurses ‘often’ or ‘always’ felt burned-out at work.

Burnout is not a medical condition, but a state of physical and emotional exhaustion caused by excessive, prolonged, and untreated interpersonal workplace stress. It occurs when individuals become emotionally exhausted, cynical, and disengaged from the job and feel a sense of ineffectiveness and loss of purpose. It can have wide-ranging damaging effects on workers’ health, job performance and quality of life and is extremely costly for the healthcare sector.

The thoroughly evidenced report recommends primary, secondary, and tertiary interventions throughout the healthcare sector to protect employees against burnout and enable those returning from absence because of the condition to do so effectively and safely.

  • Primary level interventions are those that tackle the root causes of burnout. It is crucial to ensure workload is manageable, adequate support is available, leadership is compassionate, inclusive, and ethical and staff are recognised and rewarded for their work and achievements. Training managers to support the wellbeing of their staff, identify early signs of burnout and encourage help-seeking are also particularly important.
  • Secondary level interventions focus on improving people’s ability to cope with the challenging aspects of their roles. Particularly effective strategies include enhancing opportunities for peer support, promoting self-compassion and self-care, providing training in a range of stress management tools, and helping staff maintain a healthy balance between their work and personal life.
  • Tertiary level interventions focus on treatment and encourage a safe and healthy return to work. These include taking a person-centred approach to identifying the factors that contributed to burnout and taking appropriate steps to address them.

With burnout being such a pressing issue in healthcare, occupational health, the specialist and expert field of health and wellbeing at work, will be a crucial part of the solution.

 

The UK is in a fortunate position, with specially trained occupational health professionals, but more investment is needed to expand this workforce through the newly announced workforce plan. SOM is calling for universal occupational health access and will continue to press for more provision until everyone, whether they work in healthcare or in other industries, has the coverage they need to be healthy and happy at work.

 

SOM CEO Nick Pahl said: “This new report outlines in detail why universal occupational health is so important in fighting burnout in healthcare. The NHS workforce plan’s aim is to reduce the overall leaver rate for NHS-employed staff from 9.1% (2022) to between 7.4% and 8.2% over the next 15 years. This can only occur by investing in occupational health – reversing burnout, tackling root causes, so that NHS staff can return to work well. SOM is committed to working with Government and the NHS to meet these challenges head-on.”

 

Professor Gail Kinman, the author of the report, said: “Burnout is an extremely serious matter that impacts workplaces across Britain, but it is a particular problem in healthcare settings. We know that doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals are more likely than most to experience burnout and therefore it is vitally important that we take urgent action. There are compelling reasons for organisations to support the wellbeing of their employees. This report, which brings together a wealth of research and findings, recommends the real and practical steps that they can take in the fight against burnout to ensure healthcare staff remain healthy and motivated and that recruitment and retention are improved.”

 

Download the report here.

July 2023

ACAS PODCAST ON MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK REASONABLE ADJUSTMENTS (3 July 2023)

ACAS PODCAST ON MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK REASONABLE ADJUSTMENTS 

Acas recently launched new guidance on reasonable adjustments for mental health at work, and we have a brand-new podcast episode on the subject: www.acas.org.uk/podcast/mental-health-at-work-reasonable-adjustments

Guest speakers include Jo Yarker, Managing Partner at Affinity Health at Work; Julie Denning, Managing Director of Working To Wellbeing and Chair of the Vocational Rehabilitation Association, and Francoise Woolley, Acas Head of Mental Health and Wellbeing.

In the episode we discuss:

  • What are reasonable adjustments for mental health
  • Legal considerations
  • Supporting health and wellbeing at work

We also have a Reasonable Adjustments for Mental Health Toolkit with further useful assets and resources to help you promote our new guidance and research.

 

ACPOHE: Intro to DisAbility series of webinars addressing inaccessibility of those with disabilities and the ability to work

ACPOHE are holding a webinar on:

Intro to DisAbility series of webinars addressing inaccessibility of those with disabilities and the ability to work

Date: Thursday 20th July 2023

Time: 19:00 – 20:00

Theme: Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

Location: Teams webinar

Speaker: Greet Janssens

If you have any queries, please contact admin@acpohe.org.uk

ACPOHE WEBINAR: MENTORING THOSE CONSIDERING A MOVE INTO OH (3 July 2023)

ACPOHE are holding a webinar on 3 July 2023, from 1000-1100.
 
The topic is:   Mentoring those considering a move into OH
 
This webinar introduces the idea of mentoring and is linked to the recently launched multidisciplinary mentoring initiative supporting healthcare professionals considering a move into Occupational Health.
 
Janet O’Neill, Deputy Head of the National School of Occupational Health (NSOH) will be talking about mentoring, the initiative, and how you can get involved.
 
Full details, and to book your place, please go to: