One in 10 NHS workers felt suicidal during Covid pandemic

Hundreds of healthcare workers had suicidal thoughts during the Covid-19 pandemic, new research has found.

Around one in 10 had such thoughts, and a minority said they had actually attempted suicide.

Last week, a lawyer for the British Medical Association, Brian Stanton, told the Covid-19 inquiry many workers felt pressured to work without adequate protection, “with consequences for their mental and physical health”.

The new study, led by the University of Bristol and published in the PLOS One journal, looked at results from two surveys distributed to all healthcare workers, students and volunteers in 18 English NHS trusts during the pandemic.

In the first survey, completed by 12,514 workers from April 2020 to January 2021, 10.8 per cent reported having suicidal thoughts in the previous two months, while 2.1 per cent had tried to end their own life.

In the second survey, of 7,160 workers between October 2020 and August 2021, 11.3 per cent of workers who did not report suicidal thoughts in the first survey reported them six months later.

Some 3.9 per cent said they had attempted suicide for the first time.

A lack of confidence in raising safety concerns, feeling unsupported by managers and having to provide a lower standard of care contributed to staff distress, employees said, as well as exposure to things that went against their moral values.

In March, health leaders warned that suicidal NHS staff would be left in “dangerous” situations when national funding for the country’s 40 mental health hubs was about to end.

The British Psychological Society and the Association of Clinical Psychologists said failure to continue the funding was an irresponsible way to treat vulnerable workers.

Last year, NHS staff sick days increased to 12 million, from 7.21 million in 2019. And the cost of mental health sick days almost doubled, from £279m to £468m, as staff anxiety and stress skyrocketed.

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Some health and care staff have spoken of feeling despair as services became overwhelmed during the pandemic and vital non-Covid care was postponed.

One of the study’s lead authors, Paul Moran, professor of psychiatry at the University of Bristol’s Centre for Academic Mental Health, said: “A supportive work environment is very important for staff wellbeing.

“If managers offer insufficient support, this can have a very bad effect on staff mental health.

“NHS staff need to feel confident that when they flag concerns, especially about patient safety, these concerns are listened to by managers and are being addressed.”

Prianka Padmanathan, another study lead author, said: “Our analyses show that among healthcare workers who had not experienced suicidal thoughts when first completing the survey, one in 10 reported experiencing them six months later.

“Additionally, almost one in 25 staff reported having attempted suicide for the first time.”

An NHS spokesperson said staff mental health hubs were set up using non-recurrent funding until the end of this year, and that a final decision was yet to be made on 2023-24 funding.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.