Experiences and emotional strain of NHS frontline workers during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic

Yadava Jeve,Kristina L Newman,Pallab Majumder

doi:10.1177/00207640211006153

Abstract

Background:The mental health of the population has been negatively affected due to the pandemic. Frontline healthcare workers with increased exposure to COVID diagnosis, treatment and care were especially likely to report psychological burden, fear, anxiety and depression.Aim:To elicit how working as a health professional during the pandemic is impacting on the psychological wellbeing of frontline staff.Method:United Kingdom population of healthcare workers were approached by advertising the survey via social media, NHS trusts and other organisations. Open-ended survey answers were qualitatively explored using content analysis.Results:Survey collected data from 395 NHS staff was developed into three themes; (1) Despair and uncertainty: feeling overwhelmed trying to protect everyone, (2) Behavioural and psychological impact: affecting wellbeing and functioning and (3) Coping and employer support: getting the right help.Conclusion:NHS staff felt enormous burden to adequately complete their professional, personal and civil responsibility to keep everyone safe leading to negative psychological and behavioural consequences and desire for NHS employers to offer better support. As the pandemic progresses, the results of this study may inform NHS employers on how optimum support can be offered to help them cope with negative psychological consequences of the pandemic.

Highlights

The COVID-19 Pandemic has caused significant stress and worry in the population and frontline professionals with constant news of death rates, hospital strain and new infection rates, leading to a toll on psychological wellbeing, especially in those working on the frontline who are disproportionately exposed to the risk of transmission, morbidity and death
This study provides a unique perspective of NHS staff at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020, before we understood the pandemic, had management and PPE and before vaccines were in development
The data highlights the distress and uncertainty experienced by staff as they felt enormous burden to adequately complete their professional, personal and civil responsibility to keep everyone safe leading to negative psychological and behavioural consequences and desire to receive a better support from the NHS employers

Summary

Introduction

The COVID-19 Pandemic has caused significant stress and worry in the population and frontline professionals with constant news of death rates, hospital strain and new infection rates, leading to a toll on psychological wellbeing, especially in those working on the frontline who are disproportionately exposed to the risk of transmission, morbidity and death. Medical staff reported feeling anxious about being infected or passing on the condition to their families, psychosocial protective factors included strict guidelines, availability of equipment and recognition from management and the government (Cai et al, 2020) It is, important we establish the degree and nature of psychological strain our workforce is under, while working in this pandemic and managing other responsibilities, so that this evidence can be used to optimise the support for our staff. Frontline healthcare workers with increased exposure to COVID diagnosis, treatment and care were especially likely to report psychological burden, fear, anxiety and depression. Results: Survey collected data from 395 NHS staff was developed into three themes; (1) Despair and uncertainty: feeling overwhelmed trying to protect everyone, (2) Behavioural and psychological impact: affecting wellbeing and functioning and (3) Coping and employer support: getting the right help. The results of this study may inform NHS employers on how optimum support can be offered to help them cope with negative psychological consequences of the pandemic

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