North East Ambulance Service’s staff wellbeing initiative shortlisted for national award

NEAS Mental Maintenance launched in March 2023 with the aim to change the way we think about mental health and wellbeing across the organisation, and was led by staff psychological wellbeing advisor, Andy Walton.

Every member of staff is given an employee toolkit, which includes support and guidance, and a personalised toolkit which acts as a reflective journal. There are also manager guides and suicide prevention resources available. The approach to keeping good mental health is also covered at induction for all new starters – encouraging them to look after their mental health from the start, rather than addressing issues that may occur in time.

Since the launch, these materials have also been adapted and rolled out to all ambulance services in England via the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives to promote the benefit of good mental wellbeing of everyone working or volunteering in the ambulance sector.

Andy said: “It is great to see that our mental maintenance programme has been recognised nationally for its impact on our colleagues.

“My hope is that the programme leads to greater collaboration and continued progress in supporting colleague wellbeing and, as a service, we keep doing the incredible work we do day and day out to support the North East public.

“It’s clear that we need to look after our colleagues so that they are well and will be better equipped to look after our patients and the project has allowed us to consistently spread the message that colleagues must find and be given more time to process the feelings related to burnout or trauma.

“Helping to create a shift to viewing mental health as something that needs to be maintained rather than only attended to in a crisis. Inspiring a sense of vibrancy around the subject, promoting proactive, practical and positive ways of maintaining wellbeing whilst working in emergency response.”

When developing NEAS Mental Maintenance and its resources, it was acknowledged that mental health support is not a one size fits all approach, that everyone has their own mental health story, whether it be lived experience of experiences supporting friends and family. A collaborative approach was vital to ensure these messages came through and resources reached and connected with everyone.

This included identifying a need to have a consistent language around mental wellbeing that was vibrant, aspirational, and accessible, in order to inspire greater self-awareness and agency over maintaining and recovering mental wellbeing. 

Specific training and resources also allow managers to feel more confident in supporting their teams’ mental health and help create a stigma-free culture which creates the conditions for staff to thrive.

Within the first year, over 70% of staff found the NEAS Mental Maintenance toolkit useful and everyone who needed additional support received what they needed.

A colleague who has used the toolkit said: “I feel inspired to proactively maintain my mental wellbeing. I am more confident in my role and less anxious. I started being active and openly talking about my mental health with a therapist. These resources have played a major role in my mental health and I would recommend it to anyone struggling or wanting to maintain their mental wellbeing.”

And an operational manager said: “I have been able to share these resources with colleagues and advise how they can best access the help provided by NEAS. Staff have reported an improvement in general wellbeing following accessing support services and felt these were straightforward to use when required.

“Sharing more information generally around mental maintenance has made wellbeing and mindfulness more everyday topics and reduced the stigma surrounding discussing mental health more openly.”

The HSJ Awards recognise outstanding contributions to healthcare an over 1,350 nominations were received this year.

HSJ editor Alastair McLellan, adds; “It always gives me great pleasure to congratulate our finalists at this stage of the judging process and this year is no exception as we acknowledge North East Ambulance Service for being shortlisted in the category of staff wellbeing.

 “However, it’s always important to remember that the HSJ Awards are not just a celebration of success stories but also a platform to shape the future of the NHS.

“We can’t wait to welcome our finalists to the awards ceremony in November and to recognise and applaud such impressive achievements across the sector. Huge thanks also go to our headline partner, Vodafone Business, who share our mission of driving the standard of healthcare excellence and creating better patient experiences.”

The winner will be announced at the awards ceremony, held in London on 21 November.