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Difficult Conversations Flyer

This event has now passed but a recording has been made available here.

For many health & social care staff, the issues raised by the pandemic are leading to difficult conversations between managers, colleagues, and teams. How can we look after our own and our colleagues’ wellbeing when difficult conversations need to be had?

Watch KeepingWell NCL’s webinar to learn more about supporting staff wellbeing – including your own – when having ‘Difficult Conversations’ at work. 

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NHS England are running free coaching sessions for all NHS staff working in primary care. Individual coaching is available with a skilled and experienced career coach. The aim of the service is to provide an easy to access, individually tailored coaching service that focuses on supporting you with your career choices. You can choose to talk about whatever is important to you about your career and your career decisions. The coaching is designed to be bespoke to your needs.

Who is it for?

All staff working in the delivery of primary care services. You will be either employed by the NHS or working with an NHS funded employer delivering an NHS funded primary care contract.

How does it work?

Simply register and book a coaching session

  • Sessions are available Monday to Friday between 8am and 8pm and Saturday between 10am and 6pm.
  • The first session will last up to 45 minutes.
  • The sessions will be delivered virtually, preferably via a video platform, but telephone appointments are also available.
  • Subsequent sessions will be dependent on the conversation between you and your coach.
  • Your coach might signpost you on to further support if they think this might be helpful.
  • You may receive follow-up emails to support you in your career once your coaching sessions have finished.

Body & Soul is an innovative charity that uses a comprehensive, community-based and trauma informed approach. They have developed a ‘whole person’ model of care rooted in a strengths based approach that nurtures connection, healing and growth.

They are offering free counselling for NHS staff as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They can offer 6-12 30 minute sessions, or a one off 30 minute session.

All sessions are confidential and free of charge.

We all know that physical activity helps improve our physical and mental health, and has widespread positive implications in our personal life, family and relationships and work spaces. However, with NHS and social Care staff having very busy roles, scheduling in physical activity can be another challenge.

KeepingWell NCL have created a virtual Physical Activity Club for North Central London health and care staff, using the ‘Strava’ platform. This club is to help bring staff together to

  • keep your physical wellbeing in mind with suggestions and challenges
  • support you to keep working towards your fitness goals
  • provide an online community where NCL staff can support each other

Working from home or commuting into a work place, we can all incorporate physical activity into our everyday life and enjoy the benefits. No matter your fitness level, you can go at your own pace alongside a community of health and social care workers. Set your own targets or join challenges set by the KeepingWell team, encouraged and supported by colleagues doing the same!

See what your colleagues have been up to and sign up below!

What is Strava?

Strava is an app that can help you track activity (steps, running, cycling etc.), and link you with other staff members so that we can all support one another.
You can use Strava online via their website, or using their app which you can connect to a variety of devices.

How do I join in?

  1. Register for a Strava account at: https://www.strava.com/register/free
  2. Go to the KeepingWell NCL Strava group at: https://www.strava.com/clubs/keepingwellncl
  3. Set your own challenge or complete challenges set by the NCL team
  4. Post your activities manually, or link your other devices Strava to track your activity automatically: Garmin, Mapmyrun, Pedometer++, and Apple Health can all be linked to your Strava account
  5. Chat and comment on other staff’s achievements to help motivate the rest of our community, too!

Need some ideas?

Here are some possible challenges to set yourself:

  • Walk 1 mile a day
  • Walk 10, 000 steps a day (roughly 4 miles a day)
  • Walk for an hour
  • Walk for 30 minutes
  • Complete Couch to 5k (9 week running Programme)
  • Walk further on your commute
  • Try a different physical activity – log your first go at swimming, cycling, yoga, dancing

KeepingWell NCL may try to run some Strava community events in person (subject to COVID-19 restrictions). Information on events will be posted on Strava and communicated via KeepingWell communications.

If you have any problems or questions, please email keepingwell.ncl@nhs.net

Link to resource:

Sign up for Strava: https://www.strava.com/register/free

Go to the KeepingWell NCL Strava Group: https://www.strava.com/clubs/keepingwellncl

See what your colleagues have been up to here:

Maternal Mental Health Alliance is a UK-wide charity dedicated to ensuring women and families affected by perinatal mental problems have access to high-quality comprehensive care and support. They have put together information, guides, wellbeing and mental health advice for those who are pregnant or have recently given birth during the pandemic.

Link to resource:

Click here to visit their website.

Healthcare Workers’ Foundation (formerly HEROES) is a charity founded by NHS workers, for NHS workers. They exist to support the welfare and wellbeing of NHS staff.

Their services cover the physical, mental and day-to-day needs of all healthcare workers, from doctors and nurses to cleaners and porters. This includes, providing free PPE, funding for childcare, transport, grants counselling and delivering care packages of food. Click on the link below to find out more.

Link to resource:

Click here to visit their website.

LGBT foundation have curated resources, advice and guides to form part of their online wellbeing hub to support members of the LGBTQIA+ community during the pandemic. You can access all of this on their website via the link below.

Link to resource:

Click here to visit their website.

The last 18 months or so have been incredibly challenging for so many of us. However, people working in the NHS and frontline services have endured some of the most traumatic experiences of their careers and in fact, lives. Hopeline19 is a campaign set up by Frontline19 which aims to connect the public with our NHS & frontline workers.

It is a phone line that enables you to call up for free and leave a voice message to show your support, love and appreciation for the very people that have been working in incredibly challenging and life-changing ways for months on end.

NHS and frontline workers are then able to call up and listen to these messages of support. We want to encourage people to keep the conversation going and to continue to break the taboos surrounding emotional wellbeing and mental health.

Anyone can call 0808 19 665 19 for free 24/7. Dermot O’Leary will answer the phone with a pre-recorded message. You can press 1 to leave your message of gratitude, or 2 to listen to the messages if you’re an NHS or frontline worker.

Click here to read more about Hopeline19.

Frontline19 is a FREE independent, confidential and UK  based nationwide service delivering psychological support to people working on the frontline. They offer support to NHS staff and anyone working on the frontline, including social care staff.

  • They will match you with a qualified professional therapist
  • They will try to work around your shifts where possible
  • They provide a safe place to listen to you and provide emotional support where appropriate.
  • Sessions can be via Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp or phone

Click here to access support from Frontline19.

Probably the biggest challenge a new runner faces is not knowing how or where to start. Often when trying to get into exercise, we can overdo it, feel defeated and give up when we’re just getting started. Couch to 5K works because it starts with a mix of running and walking to gradually build up your fitness and stamina

NHS Couch to 5K will help you gradually work up towards running 5km in just 9 weeks and is completely free.

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