The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spoke with frontline workers and members of the Harrogate based Just ‘B’ team about the mental health impact of the coronavirus crisis on medical staff.
Just ‘B’ is part of charity North Yorkshire Hospice Care and provides emotional wellbeing and bereavement support, both locally and nationally, through a support line.
Frontline health staff often cite exhaustion and the relentless nature of the crisis as their reasons for calling the helpline.
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Tony Collins, a volunteer for the Hospice UK Just ‘B’ helpline and Chief Executive of North Yorkshire Hospice Care and St Michael’s Hospice in Harrogate, urged frontline workers to access the helpline.
When speaking to the Duke and Duchess, Tony said:
“I think there’s something about reticence to call at the moment, and also around calling when they feel they have space to start processing and reflecting on the experiences they’ve been through.
“The phrases and the words we hear time and time again are ‘exhaustion,’ ‘relentless,’ ‘there’s so much death, when is it going to finish.
“We know that anxiety is high among frontline workers as they continue to work through the Covid-19 pandemic. This is why the helpline is so important in providing a safe space for frontline workers to reflect and process what they have been through, talking to someone else without the fear that they’ll be burdening loved ones.
“People often think: ‘I’ve got my friends, family and colleagues, you’ve just got to knuckle down and get on with it’. Frontline staff are used to putting others first, forgetting that they also need to look after themselves.
During the call, NHS staff and emergency responders spoke about their personal experiences with mental health, and how services such as Just ‘B’ have allowed them to cope better and begin to come to terms with their grief.
The Just ‘B’ emotional wellbeing, bereavement and trauma helpline can be accessed daily between 8am and 8pm at 0300 303 4434.