Caring in a Crisis [COVID-19]
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Caring in a Crisis: Understanding the stressors and uplifts for NHS frontline staff and those supporting them during Covid-19 crisis
IRAS ID
282770
Contact name
Rebecca Lawton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 2 days
Research summary
There is a strong need for research to understand the experiences of NHS frontline staff during the current Covid-19 crisis in order to inform how the wellbeing and mental health of staff can better be safeguarded as a crisis progresses and also how psychological interventions can be better tailored to the needs of those who might suffer from psychological distress in the aftermath of the crisis.\n\nThe study will use two types of data. First, data will be collected through a Facebook page where staff will be encouraged to post messages either directly (should they be comfortable with having their identity known) or anonymously by contacting one of four administrators on an email address Caringinacrisis@gmail.com. Staff will be encouraged to submit posts about sources of stress (hassles) or uplifts as these are known to be strong predictors of psychological outcomes.\n\nFour administrators, researchers within the Yorkshire Quality and Safety Research Group (including the PI) will have access to the posts.\n\nSecond, members of the Clinical Psychology team at the participating Trust who have been redeployed to support frontline NHS staff during the COVID-19 crisis will keep a weekly diary of their thoughts and feelings about what stressors and uplifts staff they interact with are experiencing and what support they require as well as their own difficulties in providing psychological support. At the end of the study period (September) these staff will also be invited to an interview about what they have learnt.\n\nData will be analysed to understand:\n\n1. The most frequently occurring stressors and uplifts staff experience\n\n2. Differences in the stressors and uplifts across professional groups\n\n3. How stressors and uplifts impact on a) staff wellbeing and mental health and b) the safety and wellbeing of patients\n\n4. What support staff require and how can this best be provided\n\n\n
REC name
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REC reference
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