Abstract
Background Lower respiratory infections are amongst the top causes of death globally. In early 2020, COVID-19 was designated as a pandemic and despite our experience of pandemics (e.g., SARS), there is limited research about how health and social care staff cope with the challenges of caring for patients while potentially putting their own health at risk. The current study therefore examined the impact of providing health and social care during COVID-19 on nurses, midwives, AHPs, social care workers and social workers. Methods An online survey using validated scales and open-ended questions was used to collect data from health and social care staff from across the UK in May and June 2020. Questions focused on the quality of working life, coping and mental wellbeing. The survey also captured information on how health and social care employers had supported staff and lessons learned for future pandemics and for ongoing health and social care provision. Results The survey received 3,290 responses, mostly from social care workers and social workers, with lower response rates from nurses, midwives and AHPs. A multiple regression analysis showed that individuals using positive coping strategies, particularly active coping, emotional support, relaxation and exercise, had higher wellbeing scores. Lower wellbeing scores were associated with disengagement and substance use as coping strategies. Better quality of working life was associated with active coping, emotional support, work family segmentation and relaxation. Participants using disengagement and family work segmentation had lower quality of working life. No differences were observed between occupational groups. Implications Positive coping strategies seem to be playing a significant role in health and social care workers’ wellbeing and quality of working life and interventions may be needed to support those who are struggling to cope. These could take the form of employer-organised workshops to better equip staff with positive coping skills.
Highlights
COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization inMarch 2020
In UK, the health and social care staff are a vulnerable group when it comes to low wellbeing, stress and burnout, perhaps due to the fact that the UK health and social care sector has been under great pressure, understaffed and underfunded, for several years
The regression analyses showed that staff wellbeing and quality of working life vary depending on the types of coping strategies that health and social care workers utilize when faced with stress
Summary
COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization inMarch 2020. COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization in. The health and social care systems quickly became overwhelmed. The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Environmental Research and Public Health and were struggling to cope. The impact of the pandemic was, felt on the organizational level, and at a more personal level, as studies examining the impacts of the pandemic on individuals’ health and wellbeing started emerging [1]. In UK, the health and social care staff are a vulnerable group when it comes to low wellbeing, stress and burnout, perhaps due to the fact that the UK health and social care sector has been under great pressure, understaffed and underfunded, for several years now. The added pressure of the pandemic is likely to have exacerbated the situation, with potentially more health and social care staff feeling stressed, anxious or depressed. There are, differences in how people deal with stressful situations, as stress is the interaction between an individual’s appraisal of their environment and their appraisal of their own coping resources [2]
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