UK-Israeli study shows one in five health, care workers suffered PTSD last year
Findings from work by UCL and the University of Haifa shows almost 60 percent of workers had a mental health disorder between May and July 2020
One in five health and care workers had post traumatic stress disorder after the pandemic stuck last year, a new UK-Israeli study suggests.
Almost three in five health and social care workers suffered a mental health problem during the first lockdown, according to the study led by researchers from UCL and the University of Haifa, Israel.
Some 58% of workers in these sectors were deemed to have a mental health disorder between May 27 and July 23 last year, and 22% met the criteria for PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder)
Figures from the Frontline Covid study, published in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology, examined data on 1,194 health and social care workers from hospitals, nursing or care homes and other community settings across the UK.
The researchers found that 47% had clinically significant anxiety and 47% had depression.
Concerns raised by staff included Fears about infecting others with Covid, being unable to talk with their managers about how they were coping, feeling stigmatised about their role, and concern over not having had reliable access to personal protective equipment (PPE).
Researchers said that staff who were deemed to be suffering from PTSD were more likely to have been redeployed to other teams.
They were also more likely to have had Covid-19 themselves.
Lead author, Dr Talya Greene, said: “Our study shows that more than half of health and social care staff surveyed met criteria for a mental disorder following the first wave of Covid-19 in the UK.
“Importantly, we found that rates of distress were high, not only among doctors and nurses, but across a wide range of health and social care roles, such as allied health professionals, ambulance workers, hospital porters, pharmacists, and care home staff.
“Let’s be clear: we may be on the verge of a mental health crisis across the health and social care sector.
“So we need to make sure that specialist help is offered and accessible across all the different roles and settings.
“It is important that this support is planned for the long-term. Our findings highlight the urgency for immediate long-term funding for specialist mental health services for health and social care workers.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
