NHS Staff Support through Supervision

Are you an NHS employee? Are you feeling supported in your role? Would you benefit from some one-to-one time to offload and explore your challenges with an independent source unconnected with your place of work?

I currently oversee the health and wellbeing of 28 members of staff within the NHS and those members of staff have no other option but to have this one-to-one support with me, their dedicated supervisor. I find this very limiting for them. These staff are potentially feeling unable to be open about issues they have with colleagues because they don’t want to ‘tell tales’ to their shared supervisor, they may feel uncomfortable discussing their perceived weaknesses or mistakes within their work for fear of repercussions. Though I’m perfectly open to constructive feedback about my supervision style, they are unlikely to tell me if they have any issues with me as this will never feel comfortable to do due to the imposed power imbalance, or we may simply have very different working styles or personalities and be unable to connect to any meaningful level. This leaves an awful lot of unresolved inner conflict for staff and leaves them lacking the support they need. The provision is there, it just won’t be right for everyone it’s available to. Choice is needed.

Coronavirus has had a huge impact on the wellbeing of NHS staff over the last 9 months and, although a vaccine is in sight, and a light has appeared at the end of the dark, unforgiving tunnel, the fallout from the epidemic will have lasting effects on those at the heart of the treatment and care of those patients and families to which Covid-19 has had an impact.

Supervisors will likely be experiencing the same, or similar challenges, and though this will lead to a connected understanding of the struggles, they may also be dealing with it very differently or may be having difficulty managing this themselves. To then be in a position of offering support to others is going to present a great deal of complex issues within those supervision sessions.

During these unprecedented times, emphasis needs to be placed on emotional wellbeing but of course the work also needs to be overseen which again potentially creates conflict. Where a staff member is under-performing and needs to be challenged but is also struggling with their mental health and support is needed, they aren’t likely to be forthcoming with a supervisor who is monitoring their productivity.

Freedom and choice has been struck a strong blow during the outbreak, we are all restricted, our options limited, our lives oppressed. NHS staff are also expected to continue in their role despite the risk to themselves and their families and are additionally fearful and worried for the safety of their patients and colleagues with whom they will likely have strong attachments to if they’ve worked together over a long period of time.

Staffing levels are reduced due to team members contracting the virus or needing to quarantine when they or a family member display symptoms so the workload is heavy on those left in work. Stress levels and anxiety are through the roof. Supervisors will feel the impact here also.

Staff support each other, but at the same time worry about offloading their difficulties onto team-mates that are dealing with their own struggles. Professional relationships will suffer at times as they use each other to vent and the tiredness, the stress, the anxiety, and the fear, will make the smallest niggle feel unmanageable.

As much as they may strive to continue to do the best job they can do, the changes in procedures, the wearing of PPE, the social distancing from each other and patients, the lack of face-to-face resources, the lone working, and the deterioration in morale will most definitely impact on performance. They simply won’t be in the same position to offer their usual level of support. This will also impact these staff who no longer feel they’re providing their best and may feel guilty and lose their sense of pride in their work. It becomes a job instead of a passion. And when all they can do after a hard day at work is go home, sometimes to an empty house, they also aren’t being afforded their usual channels of letting off steam. This may impact their relationships at home and affect their sleep so when they return to work again the next morning, they are starting their day unrested and low.

It is important to recognise that the impact that the pandemic is currently having is significant but the impact will be long-lasting, well after we come out the other side. Prolonged periods of stress and fear often result in PTSD. The challenges NHS staff have had to deal with during these difficult times will not be easy for their brains to put neatly away and they may find themselves more anxious and fearful, more aware, more vigilant, more reticent to pick up their old lives where they left off. We may all find this difficult to put behind us but NHS staff are at significantly more risk of developing symptoms not only of PTSD but of health anxiety, depression, and OCD as individuals fight to regain control of their lives and themselves.

The NHS recognise the toll that Coronavirus will be having on its staff and additional resources have been supplied to support mental health and wellbeing with a view to offering ongoing support and preventing escalation of symptoms and this should be applauded, however the ongoing workplace support that is needed daily is lacking. Resources are extremely limited, as are numbers of qualified, trained Mental Health First Aiders. 

Imagine then if you were doing your best to deal with all this and didn’t get on with your supervisor, your only supervisor, the supervisor you are obligated to have your wellbeing check ins with, a supervisor you felt wasn’t qualified to offer you the support you need, a supervisor you felt wasn’t committed to your wellbeing, a supervisor you felt detached from or clashed personalities with. Your supervision session simply becomes a surface level check in that provides little benefit at all.

In an ideal world, each service would have a selection of trained supervising staff that keyworkers can choose from, that are focused solely on supporting each member of staff to not only do well but be well. To help them explore the challenges they face without fear of consequences. To support staff to manage their relationships with each other and with their immediate supervisors and managers.

In the absence of this provision, there is also an absence of knowledge about the option for private supervision. Private supervision is offered independently of the organisation and can be offered as frequently as needed and is incredibly beneficial to anyone wanting to talk through their work-life difficulties in a non-judgemental, unbiased, supportive environment with a supervisor of their choosing.

Take a minute to envision having this support in your life, a regular ‘check in’ with someone you’ve developed a good solid working relationship with. Someone that offers you the opportunity to explore personal and professional development, to explore strategies with, to build emotional and practical resilience alongside, to explore ethical dilemmas with, to build confidence, to manage challenging situations more efficiently, to challenge any unhealthy mechanisms you may have developed, and to get things off your chest to. 

Having had independent supervision once per month throughout my counselling and supervision career I can honestly say I look forward to my supervision sessions and would be lost without them. I gain a clearer picture of the work I’m doing, recognise patterns in my own behaviours, thought processes, and unconscious working practices, offload any difficulties I may be having, explore how my home and work life can impact each other, and come away with new strategies to try out. I have the opportunity to examine my interpersonal relationships with colleagues and clients and explore how the environment I work in can also be significant in the work I am doing.

As a baseline, supervision should be undertaken for a minimum of an hour and thirty minutes once per month to see an ongoing build up of development and change but of course you’re free to check in as often as you see necessary to your wellbeing.

I guarantee that, once you’ve begun your supervision sessions you will not want to let them go. Simply having the opportunity to get things off your chest on a regular basis can have such a positive impact on your overall wellbeing and you may find yourself checking your calendar for the date of your next session as you begin to identify those occasions that arise that you could definitely do with exploring. Sometimes the sessions just don’t come round soon enough! And during these most challenging of times, you may want to book in more.

You can find further details on professional supervision here and can request a supervision session via this page or contact Tracy on 07831202104.

There is currently a discounted price for all NHS staff at 25% off the first 3 supervision sessions, available until March 31st 2021. Just quote NHS. Don’t miss out!