The awards ceremony took place at Evolution London and recognised the work of the NEAS Mental Maintenance programme, which launched in March 2023 and is designed to change the way employees think about mental health and wellbeing across the organisation.
The mental maintenance programme consists of an employee toolkit, a personalised plan, which acts as a reflective journal, manager guides and a suicide prevention resource, which are available to a workforce of over 3,400 employees and up to 1,000 additional students.
NEAS serves a large area, from Berwick in the north to the top of North Yorkshire and across to the Cumbrian border in the west, with a population of 2.7million people and answers over 1.1million 999 and 111 calls per year.
Since its launch, the materials have been adapted and rolled out to all ambulance services in England via the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives to promote the benefit of good mental wellbeing of everyone working or volunteering in the UK ambulance sector.
The programme was developed between the organisation’s staff psychological wellbeing advisor, Andy Walton and corporate communications department.
Andy said: “Promoting good mental health for our colleagues begins at induction for all new starters and is available to all, to proactively look after their mental health as well to address issues that may occur for individuals over time.
“We know research suggests that blue light workers may encounter greater mental health challenges during their career. It was important to us as a service that we recognise that and invest in bespoke resources that can be used to prevent ill health as well as to maintain mental wellbeing and to remove any stigma around it.
“Mental health support is not a one size fits all approach. Everyone has their own mental health story, whether it be lived experience of experiences supporting friends and family. This programme was designed to connect with everyone with consistent language around mental wellbeing that was vibrant, aspirational, and accessible, in order to inspire greater self-awareness and agency over maintaining and recovering mental wellbeing.”
Within the first year, over 70% of staff found the NEAS Mental Maintenance toolkit useful and everyone who needed additional support received what they needed.
Andy continues, “It was clear that looking after our colleagues so that they are well will mean that they are better equipped to look after our patients. Mental maintenance has allowed us to consistently promote that colleagues must find and be given time to process feelings related to burnout or trauma.
“Supporting our managers with specific training and resources was just as important and is helping them to feel more confident in supporting their teams’ mental health and to create a stigma-free culture and conditions in which staff can thrive.”
Chief executive, Helen Ray said: “Congratulations to everyone who has worked hard on our mental maintenance programme. The ongoing support and initiatives being developed across the Trust and the dedication of those colleagues involved highlights the importance of the mental wellbeing of all of our workforce.”
A colleague who has used the toolkit said: “I feel inspired to proactively maintain my mental wellbeing. I am more confident in my role and less anxious. I started being active and openly talking about my mental health with a therapist. These resources have played a major role in my mental health and I would recommend it to anyone struggling or wanting to maintain their mental wellbeing.”
And an operational manager said: “I have been able to share these resources with colleagues and advise how they can best access the help provided by NEAS. Staff have reported an improvement in general wellbeing following accessing support services and felt these were straightforward to use when required. Sharing more information generally around mental maintenance has made wellbeing and mindfulness more everyday topics and reduced the stigma surrounding discussing mental health more openly.”
The HSJ Awards recognised outstanding contributions to healthcare and over 1,350 nominations were received this year.