Staff support for workplace trauma: a freedom of information act request survey for NHS trusts providing mental health care in England

Abstract

Introduction Workplace trauma in mental health settings is defined as exposure to verbal and physical aggression, witnessing self-harm or hearing about patients’ histories of abuse. Support for workplace trauma is important for staff well-being, staff retention and ultimately patient care. Assessing the extent and adequacy of staff support for workplace trauma in mental health settings is important in identifying areas of need and good practice. Aim To determine what staff support systems are in place for workplace trauma in mental health services across England. Methods Freedom of Information Act requests were sent to all 57 National Health Service Trusts providing mental health care in England to identify policies on the support to mental health staff after traumatic incidents that they have experienced in the course of their clinical duties. Results Fifty-five Trusts provided usable data. Only half provided evidence of a psychologically informed incident response that went beyond a fact-finding exercise and only a fifth of Trusts used an established model for the response process. A small proportion of policies acknowledged workplace traumas related to staff discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics. Conclusion There is insufficient attention to supporting mental health staff with the effects of workplace trauma.