A key part of improving care quality is ensuring that those who deliver care are themselves well looked after. Our work supporting healthcare staff is led through our stewardship and promotion of Schwartz Rounds in the UK and Ireland. Responding to the particular challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have developed ‘Team Time’ as a forum for smaller groups of colleagues to share stories and reflect together online. We also conduct research and engagement work to understand and support staff wellbeing across a range of settings.
Supporting healthcare staff
because delivering high quality care is only possible if staff get the practical and emotional support they need
Latest news and blogs
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Blog 04 March 2021
Schwartz Rounds for students
On University Mental Health Day, Ali Smith-Johns from the School of Health Sciences, University of Surrey, talks to us about her experience of running Schwartz Rounds for healthcare students.
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Blog 01 March 2021
The costs of caring
Kirsten McEwan of the University of Derby reflects on what she learned from evaluating Schwartz Rounds in a mental health setting.
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Blog 03 December 2020
Stories of loss during Covid
Bev Fitzsimons reflects on the stories heard by the Point of Care Foundation team during the Covid-19 crisis.
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Healthcare staff have high sickness absence rates and are highly stressed
The NHS employs 1.3 million people and sickness absence costs the NHS around £2.4bn each year
01 April 2009 Evidence -
High sickness absence is linked to high patient mortality
Trusts with high levels of patient mortality found that these trusts tended to have high rates of sickness absence, particularly among doctors and nurses
16 July 2013 Report -
Engaged staff are significantly less likely to make mistakes
Research shows that doctors and nurses who are engaged make fewer mistakes and that organisations with high engagement are safer for patients
12 October 2015 Evidence -
Staff experience has a direct impact on patients' experience
Research shows that staff affect and wellbeing are the antecedent to patients’ experience i.e. that staff experience impacts on patients’ experience rather than the other way round
01 November 2012 Evidence -
Depression and burnout cause staff to withdraw emotionally
Psychology research shows that with depression in particular, people withdraw, perhaps for their own emotional protection. Burnout is at the extreme end of stress, leading to a lowered sense of personal effectiveness, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalisation
02 February 2015 Evidence -
Targets and regulation create a damaging environment in healthcare organisations
The NHS is dominated by a pacesetting style of leadership which can have an impact on staff sense of control. A good management style can have a positive effect on staff wellbeing
21 May 2014 Report