Suicide among nurses: how talking can reduce risk and stigma: With increasing workplace and home pressures for many, nurses can support colleagues through open, honest

In the BBC TV programme 'This Is Going to Hurt', hospital staff plant a tree in memory of a colleague who has died by suicide.

A Call for Support: Social Worker Health, Well-being and Working Conditions

The author calls for support in recognizing the work that social workers have done through and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic. Topics discussed include impact of social workers leaving the profession on the service users that social workers work most closely with, what the 'Key Worker' status of social workers meant in the United Kingdom (UK) during the height of the pandemic, and working conditions of social workers.

Facilitator reflections on online delivery of simulation-based mental health education during COVID-19

Purpose: During COVID-19, Maudsley Simulation successfully pivoted to fully online delivery of simulation-based education (SBE) in mental health. In migrating digitally, the simulation faculty experienced a range of new phenomena and challenges. The authors' experiences may be transferable to other specialities and for other educator groups. By sharing the authors' experiences, this study aims to support others adapt to online SBE. Design/methodology/approach: This piece represents the authors' collective reflections on the challenges of adapting their facilitation skills to the online environment. It also offers various suggestions on how to improve the learner experience in view of these challenges. Findings: Beyond merely platform orientation and operating procedure familiarisation, the team gained insights into ensuring optimal learning, engagement and participant experience during online deliveries. Delivery of online SBE brings several potential barriers to psychological safety and these warrant careful consideration by experienced simulationists. Practical implications: Optimising participant engagement and psychological safety remain key considerations despite this novel medium. Facilitators must be willing to adapt accordingly to begin delivering high-quality online SBE. Originality/value: From their experience, facilitators must reframe their debriefing expectations and adjust how they engage participants and manage group dynamics given the inherently different nature of this new learning environment.

Supporting staff at a low secure mental health setting during the COVID-19 pandemic

Why you should read this article: • To learn about some adaptations to practice adopted by a low secure mental health unit during the COVID-19 pandemic • To be aware of interventions used to enable staff to continue to support patients during the COVID-19 pandemic • To appreciate that staff's experience of the adaptations to practice and the well-being support offered to them during the pandemic can be used to inform post-pandemic practice The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic significantly disrupted the work of healthcare professionals in forensic mental health settings, but also prompted them to adopt new ways of working that have benefits and challenges. A low secure mental health unit in the UK adapted its ways of working during the pandemic by providing staff who could work remotely with the necessary equipment. The unit also implemented a stepped psychological response, as recommended by The British Psychological Society, to assist its staff to continue to support patients. This article describes the unit's response to the pandemic and discusses the findings of two evaluations – staff experiences of remote working and of a group relaxation session. The findings could help inform post-pandemic practice in forensic mental health settings.

How Did Levels of Psychological Distress and Perceptions of Workplace Support amongst Children's Social Work Staff Change during the Covid-19 Pandemic?

Covid-19 brought about drastic changes in day-to-day life and working practices, and had a profound impact on the mental health and well-being of the general population. Certain professional groups have also been particularly affected. This study sought to explore how levels of psychological distress and perceptions of workplace support amongst social work staff changed during the pandemic. We present the results from a series of surveys conducted in four local authorities (LAs) in England, before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. Social workers and other social care staff (n  = 62) were asked about their experiences of psychological distress, using the twelve-item General Health Questionnaire. Overall, we found the proportion of staff reporting elevated levels of psychological distress increased and, in line with previous studies involving social workers, was high relative to the general population. Yet, most staff also said they had high levels of support from managers and colleagues, whilst a small proportion reported an increased perception of workplace support during the pandemic, compared to before. We consider these findings in relation to Organisational Support Theory and reflect on the ability of LAs to provide effective support for social care staff.

Canadian Adolescents' Mental Health and Substance Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Associations With COVID-19 Stressors

There have been significant concerns regarding the mental health impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to isolation, anxiety around the pandemic, and increased conflict in the home. The purpose of this study was to examine the rates of mental health symptoms of clinical concern and substance use, and to assess which COVID-19 related stressors were predictors of these symptoms and substance use in a large Canadian sample of adolescents, with comparisons across genders. Participants (N = 809, Mage = 15.67, SD = 1.37) identified as a girl (56.2%), boy (38.7%), or trans/nonbinary individuals (TNBI;5.1%) and were recruited via social media to complete an online survey. A high proportion of adolescents reported symptoms of clinical concern for depression (51%), anxiety (39%), and posttraumatic stress disorder (45%). Other mental health problems ranged from 9% to 20%. Adolescents were mainly concerned with the health of family members and vulnerable populations, as well as the increased family stress at home during COVID-19. Rates of substance use were higher than expected, with over 50% of youth engaging in some form of substance use in the past 90 days, and almost 20% engaging in substance use at least once a week. TNBI and girls reported higher rates of mental health problems compared to boys. Family stress due to confinement and violence at home predicted higher mental health symptoms, but not substance use problems. Increased rates of mental health problems and substance use necessitate targeted supports that encourage positive coping amidst the additional stresses of COVID-19.

Establishing a Breastfeeding Consortium for Clinicians in Pediatric Outpatient Care

Creating a supportive environment for breastfeeding mothers in the primary care setting has been shown to improve breastfeeding rates and duration. An important aspect of establishing a breastfeeding-friendly practice is to engage and educate health care providers. To increase consistency of breastfeeding care and interventions across a large primary care network, we established an Ambulatory Breastfeeding Consortium (ABC) focused on information sharing and discussion centered on care of breastfeeding and lactating families. The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the need to share up-to-date education and guidance, and the importance of the role of primary care providers in breastfeeding support. The ABC has been effective in engaging primary care nurses and other clinicians and disseminating information while encouraging discussion on the importance of providing informed care to breastfeeding families. Although more breastfeeding-specific education is recommended for clinicians, the ABC serves as a model for primary care clinicians to improve their knowledge and provide support for families through education, shared experience, and awareness across many pediatric primary care network sites. Development of a breastfeeding consortium for ambulatory care clinics in the Children's Hospital of Philadephia primary care network including 31 sites across Pennsylvania and New Jersey is presented. Virtual monthly meetings and education facililtated clinicians knowledge on various breastfeeding topics. The consortium has been especially helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic as birthing hospitals discharge new mothers ealier than usual and often without full assessment of the breastfeeding couplet. Ongoing updates of information from the government and professional organizations were able to be shared with members of the interdisciplinary team.

A preceptorship programme for school nurses and health visitors

A preceptorship programme for health visitors and school nurses in Highland, Scotland, was developed, delivered and evaluated from 2015 until 2021. The programme used video-conferencing technology to connect remote and rural preceptees, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Preceptees' feedback about the programme was positive;the key benefits highlighted were better networking and peer support capabilities and reduced isolation. As well as describing the programme and its development, this article provides recommendations for other organisations about how to develop a preceptorship programme in their field of practice.

The more experienced, the better prepared? New evidence on the relation between teachers' experience and their readiness for online teaching and learning

In the present study, we tested the common assumption that teachers with more experience consider themselves better prepared for online teaching and learning (OTL). Utilizing the data from a survey of 366 higher-education teachers from Portugal at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we performed structural equation modeling to quantify the experience-readiness relationship. The survey contained an assessment of teachers' OTL readiness which was measured by their perceptions of the institutional support, online teaching presence, and TPACK self-efficacy. In contrast to the linearity assumption "the more experienced, the better prepared", we found robust evidence for a curvilinear relationship. Teachers' readiness for OTL increased first and then decreased with more experience—this applied especially to the self-efficacy dimension of readiness. Further analyses suggested that the experience-readiness relationship does not only exist at the level of aggregated constructs but also at the level of indicators, that is, specific areas of knowledge, teaching, and support. We argue that both novice and experienced teachers in higher education could benefit from experience-appropriate, pedagogical, and content-related support programs for OTL. • Readiness for online teaching and learning (OTL) comprised multiple dimensions. • The relation between OTL readiness and experience was curvilinear. • Curvilinearity occurred especially for TPACK self-efficacy. • Experience impacted the measurement of readiness for OTL. • The nature of the relation was robust against outliers of experience.

Methodology for a Mental Health Plan for Health Care Workers

The risk and prevalence of mental health concerns for health care workers has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Frontline health care workers are particularly vulnerable to professional burnout, anxiety, depression, substance use, and trauma. Although health care organizations have responded rapidly to the health and well-being needs of the patients and communities they serve, swiftly adapting to increased patient volumes, new protocols, resource shortages, and other needs as driven by the volatile environment, a similarly agile and robust effort is essential to support the mental and emotional well-being of health care workers. This article outlines the agile methodology used to mobilize a multidisciplinary team at a large academic medical center to amplify mental health support options for its workers and address barriers that prevent them from seeking that help. With the support of the Mayo Clinic Board of Governors and the People and Culture Committee through active executive sponsorship and funding, an internal team strategized and swiftly activated procedures to deal with urgent mental health barriers for frontline workers, despite the compounding challenges caused by the pandemic. This systematic approach to modeling a mental health strategic plan for health care workers featured engaging stakeholder teams through active listening, collective goal setting, and delineated short-term and long-term objectives while leveraging values-aligned and employee-centric principles. After 1 year, employees have increased the use of mental health services by as much as 14%-26%.

The Power of Coaching: Supercharge Your Personal and Professional Well-Being

After the upheaval of the last two years, many physicians are reassessing their priorities. Coaching provides a framework for learning from the past to build a brighter future.