The Resilience Hubs evaluation [COVID-19]
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Resilience Hubs: A multi-site, mixed-methods evaluation of an NHS Outreach, Screening and Support Navigation service model to address the mental health needs of key workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
IRAS ID
290375
Contact name
Filippo Varese
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 7 months, 31 days
Research summary
Summary of Research
BACKGROUND: Many nurses, doctors, ambulance workers and other professional carers are
developing mental health problems because of the very stressful circumstances they have to deal with during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health experts agree that we need urgent research on how we can reach key workers who need psychological support and help them to access the support they need.AIMS: We will evaluate new NHS services, called ‘Resilience Hubs’, that are being set up in several regions in the UK to help key workers who are struggling with mental health issues brought about by the pandemic. It is vital to learn as much as possible from the process of setting up and using these new services so that we could ensure that key workers get the best service response, both throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and also in future crises.
METHODS: We will work with 3 Resilience Hubs for 20 months to:
1) See how many key workers need mental health support after registering with the Hubs, and whether certain groups need more support than others or find it more difficult to access mental health services after registering with the Hubs;
2) Ask key workers about what services they have accessed with the support of the Hubs, and how useful they found the help they received from the Hubs;
3) Understand what resources are needed to set-up and manage the Hubs and check the ‘value for money’ of these new services;
4) Interview key workers who received Hub support, key workers that did not register with the Hubs and professionals who work at the Hubs. These interviews will allow us to understand if the Hubs are fit-for-purpose and useful for all the different key workers they are supposed to help, and how the Hubs’ support could be improved and modified to suit the needs of different UK regions who might require a service of this kind in the future.Summary of Results
Many health and social care staff struggled with mental health difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study evaluated new NHS services (‘Resilience Hubs’), that were set up to help these keyworkers.
We worked with four Hubs to: 1) look at who accessed the Hubs and what difficulties they had; 2) ask Hub ‘clients’ which support they used, and how helpful they found the Hubs; 3) look at what resources are needed to run the Hubs, to understand their ‘value for money’; 4) interview people who worked with or used the Hubs (for example Hub staff, Hub clients, but also keyworkers who did not use the Hubs) to have their feedback. We used this information to make recommendations for the Hubs and the organisations that work with them.
We found that Hub clients were mainly NHS staff. Many had several mental health difficulties, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Few men, staff from minority ethnic communities, care home workers and emergency service staff used the Hubs. People were generally happy with the support they had from the Hubs. Staffing was the main cost, as Hubs were mainly staffed by experienced clinicians. Things that made it easier for people to use the Hubs were clear understandings of Hub support and how to access it, and the support of their managers/employers. Some keyworkers from minority ethnic communities wanted greater diversity in the Hub teams. Some had concerns around waiting times and about not knowing enough about how well these services worked. Feedback was otherwise very positive.Our recommendations included how to better promote the Hubs, improve inclusion of and support for minority groups, get better data on how well and for whom the Hubs work, and for employers to pay more attention to the mental health and wellbeing of keyworkers beyond the pandemic.
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/NW/0462
Date of REC Opinion
20 Jan 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion