Kristina Lily Gray1, Heather Birtles2, Katharina Reichelt2, Ian Andrew James2. 1. Cumbria Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, North East and North Cumbria staff wellbeing hub, Akenside Psychology Offices, Campus for ageing and vitality, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 2. Cumbria Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, Older adult psychology services, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Abstract
Objectives: To examine experiences of care home staff to better understand how to support them during the ongoing pandemic and in the future.Method: A systematic review examining experiences of care staff over the last year (March 2020-2021). Results: Fourteen papers related to experiences of staff and one was an intervention study. Quantitatively there was evidence of anxiety, PTSD and depression amongst the staff. Qualitatively, seven themes were identified: Poor working conditions; Lack of skills and knowledge; Psychological/Mental health concerns; Feeling undervalued and abandoned; Fears of contagion; Support and the positive impacts of COVID. The intervention study recommended employing needs-based approaches, including educational and wellbeing components. Conclusion: Recommendations are made in terms of how to work with staff, both practically and clinically. There are also suggestions about how to deal with similar situations if they were to reoccur. It is evident that lessons need to be learned because errors were made. Indeed, from a UK perspective, discharging thousands back to care homes, without testing, cost lives. This may have been done to protect the NHS, but it unwittingly 'lockdown' the virus within the care sector.
Objectives: To examine experiences of care home staff to better understand how to support them during the ongoing pandemic and in the future.Method: A systematic review examining experiences of care staff over the last year (March 2020-2021). Results: Fourteen papers related to experiences of staff and one was an intervention study. Quantitatively there was evidence of anxiety, PTSD and depression amongst the staff. Qualitatively, seven themes were identified: Poor working conditions; Lack of skills and knowledge; Psychological/Mental health concerns; Feeling undervalued and abandoned; Fears of contagion; Support and the positive impacts of COVID. The intervention study recommended employing needs-based approaches, including educational and wellbeing components. Conclusion: Recommendations are made in terms of how to work with staff, both practically and clinically. There are also suggestions about how to deal with similar situations if they were to reoccur. It is evident that lessons need to be learned because errors were made. Indeed, from a UK perspective, discharging thousands back to care homes, without testing, cost lives. This may have been done to protect the NHS, but it unwittingly 'lockdown' the virus within the care sector.
Entities:
Keywords:
care home staff; coronavirus; residential care; support; systematic review