National Memorial Day for Health and Care Workers Lost to Suicide

17th September 2024 will mark the first ever National Memorial Day for Health and Care Workers Lost to Suicide set up by Doctors in Distress and NHS Practitioner Health. This is an opportunity for us to remember all of our colleagues who have taken their own lives.

NHS Practitioner Health (PH) has shared that over 2,500 health and care workers have been recorded to have ended their own lives since 2011, based on the Office for National Statistics’ data (NHS PH). It has also been reported that over 360 nurses made attempts to end their own lives in 2022 in the UK (Ford, 2023). Recent reports have highlighted a number of concerns regarding the wellbeing of doctors.

The recent General Medical Council (GMC) report, “The State of Medical Education and Practice in the UK Workplace Experience 2024” states, “a third of doctors are struggling and feel unable to cope.” This report also identifies that specific groups of doctors are at higher risk, highlighting that doctors in training are more likely to experience burnout than any other doctors and that GPs experience the lowest satisfaction levels and are at highest risk of have difficulties with their workload. Similar issues were also highlighted in the GMC “National Training Survey 2024” where 21% of trainees were identified as being at high risk of developing burnout and 52% found their job emotionally exhausting to a high or very high degree. With regards to trainers, 50% were found to be at high or moderate risk of developing burnout.

For further information on National Memorial Day for Health and Care Workers Lost to Suicide, please visit the link below where you can also find out about how to order memorial pin badges, the proceeds of which go to support the mental health of healthcare workers:

https://doctors-in-distress.org.uk/national-memorial-day/

Doctors in Distress have also set up the National Memorial Tree Campaign, encouraging all hospital trusts and primary care settings to remember healthcare staff who have taken their own lives by planting a tree on their grounds. To find out more about this project and see the memorial trees that have been planted so far, please visit the link below:

https://doctors-in-distress.org.uk/national-memorial-tree-campaign/

If you are a healthcare worker struggling with any mental health concern, please do reach out for support from the following:  

In the case of an emergency, call 999 or attend your nearest A&E Department.

References:

Doctors in Distress. National Memorial Tree Campaign. https://doctors-in-distress.org.uk/national-memorial-tree-campaign/ Accessed on 22/8/2024.

Doctors in Distress. National Suicide Memorial Day for Health and Care Workers. https://doctors-in-distress.org.uk/national-memorial-day/ Accessed on 22/8/2024.

Ford, M. (2023, March 9). More than 360 nurses attempt suicide in 2022, says charity. Nursing Times.https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/nurse-wellbeing/more-than-360-nurses-attempted-suicide-in-2022-says-charity-09-03-2023/

General Medical Council. (2024). National Training Survey 2024 Results. https://www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/documents/national-training-survey-summary-report-2024_pdf-107834344.pdf

General Medical Council. (2024). The State of Medical Education and Practice in the UK Workplace experience 2024. https://www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/documents/somep-workplace-report-2024-full-report_pdf-107930713.pdf

Practitioner Health. National Suicide Memorial Day for Health and Care Workers. https://www.practitionerhealth.nhs.uk/news/health-and-care-staff-lost-to-suicide Accessed on 22/8/2024.

 

 

Effective communication is the lifeblood of healthcare. It’s the skill that underpins everything from delivering sensitive news to colleagues, supporting patients, resolving complaints, and building trust. However, many individuals struggle with initiating, sustaining, concluding, and following up on conversations. In the realm of healthcare education, simulation-based education (SBE) has emerged as a powerful tool to enhance communication skills. But to make the most of SBE, a structured communication skills framework is essential. While several such frameworks exist, we aimed to create a versatile, easily memorisable framework that could apply to a wide range of communication scenarios within SBE.

The building of STEPS: A framework for all conversations

Our journey began with a deep dive into existing communication skills frameworks, drawing insights from experts in communication skills, healthcare education, and SBE. SimComm wanted our framework to encompass the essential skills needed for every conversation, whether it’s between healthcare professionals and colleagues, patients, relatives, non-healthcare professionals, colleagues, or clients.

Through qualitative data analysis from sessions spanning five years, we identified key themes that formed the basis of our new framework:

  1. Why, When, Where, and How to Start a Conversation
  2. The Best Time for a Conversation
  3. Showing Empathy and Listening (Both Verbally and Nonverbally)
  4. Providing Support without Imposing Solutions
  5. Conducting a Sense Check After the Conversation

Two years ago, the STEPS framework was born. It has since been utilized by our facilitators in SBE to empower participants to confidently structure and engage in conversations.