As healthcare staff, high pressure and stressful situations come with the job, and the NHS does great work thanks to such dedicated staff. Such dedication in fact, that in 2019, 43.4% worked up to 5 extra unpaid hours per week, 9% worked 6-10 hours, and 3% worked a staggering 11+ hours (Statista, 2020).
This dedication is a testament to the reason that most doctors get into a career in healthcare in the first place - to help people. To help them when they are ill or injured, to help them recover, to help them to live a better life. But to deliver this help and care to patients, everyone must look after themselves as well as their colleagues around them.
Over the past few months, there has been added pressures and demands on all NHS staff due to COVID-19, and this may have had a significant impact for some on their mental health and wellbeing.
To combat this, it is important to seek help when you need it, and check on others if you are concerned about them. Below are a range of resources, that are now free to access for all NHS staff until December 2020, that may be of help to anyone that feels they need it. They cover a range of areas, your life at home, mental health, mindfulness and sleep.
Life at home
Bright Sky – Bright Sky is an app that provides free support and information for anyone that is concerned that someone they know may be in an abusive relationship or are themselves in an abusive relationship. This is a confidential app, and is available in English, Welsh, Polish, Punjabi and Urdu.
You can download this app either from the Apple App Store, or the Google Play store.
Cityparents – This programme offers expertise and support to help you balance work with family life. With a variety of resources from webinars to blogs to podcasts, Cityparents aims to help those with caring responsibilities develop skills and support a healthy work/life balance.
You can read more about Cityparents here, and to register, make sure you use your NHS email address to take advantage of the free online access.
Mental health
Daylight – Daylight is an app that uses evidence-based cognitive behavioural techniques through voice and animation to provide help to people experiencing symptoms of worry and anxiety and is free for all NHS staff until 31st December.
This is best accessed on a smartphone; you can download it from the Apple App Store or the Google Play store. Alternatively, you can view it in your web browser through this link.
SilverCloud – SilverCloud is a digital mental health platform that provides programmes designed to help you with resilience, stress, sleep, and now a specific programme to help you deal with the difficult emotions that may have been brought on due to COVID-19.
You can sign up to these four programmes for free here (each programme sign up requires a separate unique username and password), and if you are prompted, enter access code ‘NHS2020’.
#StayAlive – This is a suicide prevention app for if you are at risk yourself, or if you’re worried about someone else. Resources include a safety plan, reasons for living that you can customise for your situation, and a LifeBox, which is where you can store memories and pictures important to you.
There are also direct links to local and national crisis resources that you can access on your phone at any time, should you need them.
You can download this app either from the Apple App Store, or the Google Play store.
Unmind – You can manage your personal mental health needs with this platform, using scientifically backed assessments, tools and training. It allows you to proactively improve your mental wellbeing, designed to help with stress, sleep, coping, connection fulfilment and nutrition.
Sign up with your NHS email address here and download the app either from the Apple App Store, or the Google Play store.
Mindfulness
Headspace – Headspace is a mindfulness app that reduces stress and burnout, increases focus, with many resources to help you work towards this, ranging from mediation and help with sleep, to quick workouts.
You can download this app either from the Apple App Store, or the Google Play store, but remember to use your NHS email address whilst signing up to gain free access to Headspace until 31st December.
Liberate Meditation – This app offers culturally sensitive and diverse mindfulness-guided meditation, curated for the BAME community, led by experienced teachers that themselves identify as POC/BAME. The main aims are to help you lower anxiety, stress and promote rest.
You can download this app either from the Apple App Store, or the Google Play store, but remember to use your NHS email address whilst signing up to gain free access until December 2020.
Movement for Modern Life – This is an online yoga platform that encourages looking after your physical health to promote good mental health and wellbeing. Follow this link to sign up with your NHS email, and gain access to classes and courses designed for those dealing with stressful lives.
Sleep
Sleepio – Sleepio is a fully automated and highly personalised 6-week sleep improvement programme, based on cognitive and behavioural techniques.
With it being free for NHS staff until 31st December, just go through this link and click ‘Start Sleepio’, and when you are prompted to sign up, do so using your NHS email.
This dedication is a testament to the reason that most doctors get into a career in healthcare in the first place - to help people. To help them when they are ill or injured, to help them recover, to help them to live a better life. But to deliver this help and care to patients, everyone must look after themselves as well as their colleagues around them.
Over the past few months, there has been added pressures and demands on all NHS staff due to COVID-19, and this may have had a significant impact for some on their mental health and wellbeing.
To combat this, it is important to seek help when you need it, and check on others if you are concerned about them. Below are a range of resources, that are now free to access for all NHS staff until December 2020, that may be of help to anyone that feels they need it. They cover a range of areas, your life at home, mental health, mindfulness and sleep.
Life at home
Bright Sky – Bright Sky is an app that provides free support and information for anyone that is concerned that someone they know may be in an abusive relationship or are themselves in an abusive relationship. This is a confidential app, and is available in English, Welsh, Polish, Punjabi and Urdu.
You can download this app either from the Apple App Store, or the Google Play store.
Cityparents – This programme offers expertise and support to help you balance work with family life. With a variety of resources from webinars to blogs to podcasts, Cityparents aims to help those with caring responsibilities develop skills and support a healthy work/life balance.
You can read more about Cityparents here, and to register, make sure you use your NHS email address to take advantage of the free online access.
Mental health
Daylight – Daylight is an app that uses evidence-based cognitive behavioural techniques through voice and animation to provide help to people experiencing symptoms of worry and anxiety and is free for all NHS staff until 31st December.
This is best accessed on a smartphone; you can download it from the Apple App Store or the Google Play store. Alternatively, you can view it in your web browser through this link.
SilverCloud – SilverCloud is a digital mental health platform that provides programmes designed to help you with resilience, stress, sleep, and now a specific programme to help you deal with the difficult emotions that may have been brought on due to COVID-19.
You can sign up to these four programmes for free here (each programme sign up requires a separate unique username and password), and if you are prompted, enter access code ‘NHS2020’.
#StayAlive – This is a suicide prevention app for if you are at risk yourself, or if you’re worried about someone else. Resources include a safety plan, reasons for living that you can customise for your situation, and a LifeBox, which is where you can store memories and pictures important to you.
There are also direct links to local and national crisis resources that you can access on your phone at any time, should you need them.
You can download this app either from the Apple App Store, or the Google Play store.
Unmind – You can manage your personal mental health needs with this platform, using scientifically backed assessments, tools and training. It allows you to proactively improve your mental wellbeing, designed to help with stress, sleep, coping, connection fulfilment and nutrition.
Sign up with your NHS email address here and download the app either from the Apple App Store, or the Google Play store.
Mindfulness
Headspace – Headspace is a mindfulness app that reduces stress and burnout, increases focus, with many resources to help you work towards this, ranging from mediation and help with sleep, to quick workouts.
You can download this app either from the Apple App Store, or the Google Play store, but remember to use your NHS email address whilst signing up to gain free access to Headspace until 31st December.
Liberate Meditation – This app offers culturally sensitive and diverse mindfulness-guided meditation, curated for the BAME community, led by experienced teachers that themselves identify as POC/BAME. The main aims are to help you lower anxiety, stress and promote rest.
You can download this app either from the Apple App Store, or the Google Play store, but remember to use your NHS email address whilst signing up to gain free access until December 2020.
Movement for Modern Life – This is an online yoga platform that encourages looking after your physical health to promote good mental health and wellbeing. Follow this link to sign up with your NHS email, and gain access to classes and courses designed for those dealing with stressful lives.
Sleep
Sleepio – Sleepio is a fully automated and highly personalised 6-week sleep improvement programme, based on cognitive and behavioural techniques.
With it being free for NHS staff until 31st December, just go through this link and click ‘Start Sleepio’, and when you are prompted to sign up, do so using your NHS email.
