Emma Worrall heads up AFG’s clinical services across our six specialist mental health hospitals and enhanced mental health community provision based in the North West.
Happy World Mental Health Day! I was glad to see the theme for this year’s campaign focusing on mental health in the workplace. As mental health professionals it is vital that we cultivate a workplace where we feel safe, well and able to give the best possible support.
Our mental health teams are made up of a mixture of specialisms and responsibilities, from Mental Health Support Workers to Occupational Therapists, Nurses and Senior Nurses, with each member of the team playing an important part in supporting our patients through their journey to recovery.
We’re proud that in our latest staff survey, 100% of our mental health professionals said they look forward to coming to work – so how do we ensure they feel valued and well in the workplace?
Plenty of face-to-face contact
Our clinicians are supported with regular face-to-face assurance meetings and clinical supervision, creating opportunities to share best practice. We are also implementing the Professional Nurse Advocate programme, which will provide our people with skills to facilitate restorative supervision to their colleagues and teams.
Listening to & acting on feedback
Allen O’Connor, casual Mental Health Nurse and lecturer in nursing said: “Following feedback from colleagues, I was able to lead on the policy for transgender patients to ensure AFG’s hospitals and services are geared towards people who are not cisgender. I’m passionate about modernising services to accommodate trans and non-binary staff and patients and feel AFG are very open to listening to feedback and embracing change.”
A focus on staff as individuals, as well as patients
John Twemlow, Mental Health Nurse at our hospital in Bolton: “As well as asking our patients to create personal profiles with their likes, dislikes and hobbies, I appreciate that each staff member is encouraged to do the same, which are then shared with both patients and colleagues. This helps to create a shared understanding of each other to promote healthy working relationships.”
Reward & recognition
Apart from the organisational rewards, awards and recognition platforms AFG offers colleagues, our hospitals runs their own reward schemes such as employee of the month to recognise achievements and promote a sense of pride and accomplishment. These are down to our hospital teams to decide how they want to recognise their own teams and are very well received among our people.
Planning activities, events & celebrations
Our hospitals have a busy event schedule with a range of weekly activities such as karaoke, quizzes, arts and crafts, but also plan events and celebrations, like our recent Sports Day where staff and patients sack raced, egg and spoon raced, and hula hooped for an afternoon!
I am truly proud of our mental health teams for their compassion, professionalism and commitment to creating mentally healthy workplaces so that we can work with our patients to positively impact more lives.
