Monitoring the longer-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and occupational outcomes of healthcare workers.
Aims We will investigate the longer-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and occupational outcomes of healthcare workers (HCWs), using an existing cohort to enable longitudinal analyses, by collecting another wave of questionnaire data around the 32-month follow-up mark.
What the research will involve (Research plan/work packages)
WP1: We will collect a fourth wave of NHS CHECK data to investigate the longer-term impact of the pandemic by following up our existing cohort of 23,000 HCWs in 18 NHS Trusts in England around the 32-month mark to add to previously collected baseline, 6 month and 12-month questionnaire data.
WP2: We will examine co-occurring mental health problems and work-related stressors as well as their associated factors among HCW and their change over time during the pandemic.
WP3: We will explore the trajectories of mental health outcomes over time in HCWs and the identification of factors that may have contributed to these trajectories.
WP4: We will identify the most helpful support services for HCWs, and whether views on these have changed over time.
What has the study found so far?
Three papers are ready for submission/have been submitted for publication: 1) Exploring the trajectories and associated factors of psychological distress over the course of the pandemic in HCWs (WP3); 2) HCWs’ sickness absence and staff’s intention to leave; and 3) Trajectories of resilience and associations with burn out among mental health care staff over the course of the pandemic.
An additional two papers are currently being drafted: 4) The prevalence of mental health and occupational outcomes, and associated factors, among HCWs at 32-month follow-up; and 5) HCW’s use of support services and predictors associated with their use. Both papers are due to be submitted in 2025.
Findings of paper 3 were presented by Dr Nora Trompeter (former post-doc) during the ESTSS conference in Belfast (June 2023).
The NHS CHECK Mental Health conference took place on 4 December 2023 at King’s College London involving speakers from the LCWH (Prof Ira Madan, Dr Sharon Stevelink, Prof Neil Greenberg, Dr Danielle Lamb) and others. Topics included: the mental health impact on the NHS, suicide & self harm, long Covid, the use of mental health self-screening tools, PhD & Early Career showcasing.
Study Team: Dr Sharon Stevelink, Dr Danielle Lamb, Dr Brendan Dempsey, Dr Pamela Almeida, Prof Ira Madan.
Further information: sharon.stevelink@kcl.ac.uk
Funders Rosetrees Trust
Publications
Padmanathan P, Lamb D, Scott H, Stevelink S.A.M, Greenberg N, Hotopf M, Morriss R, Raine R, Rafferty M, Madan I, Dorrington S, Wessely S, Moran P. (2023) Suicidal thoughts and behaviour among healthcare workers in England during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study. PLoS ONE. 18(6) https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286207
Dempsey B, Trompeter N, Madan I, Lamb D, Greenberg N, Bhundia R, et al. (2023) Findings from the 32 month follow-up survey of the NHS CHECK Longitudinal Cohort. OSF. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/9X36D.
Scott L.J, Lamb D, Penfold C, Redaniel M.T, Trompeter N, Moran P, Bhundia R, Greenberg N, Raine R, Wessely S, Madan I, Aitken P, Rafferty A.M, Dorrington S, Morriss R, Murphy D, Stevelink S.A.M (2024) NHS staff: Sickness absence and intention to leave the profession. MedRxiv (pre-print). https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.05.24311412