Union looks for its health staff to get PTSD appraisals
SIPTU has called on new Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to commission a detailed study on whether health workers have developed post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of working throughout the Covid-19 crisis.
The demand from the union – which represents over 50,000 people who work in the health system – comes as the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is surveying its 35,000 members on whether they may have developed PTSD after caring for Covid-19 patients and their families.
These revelations come as the Health Service Executive insists the disorder cannot be diagnosed until six months after the initial trauma has occurred.
However, according to SIPTU, dealing with Covid-19 patients and their families was so distressing for its health worker members that the virus should be declared an occupational illness.
A SIPTU spokesman explained: ‘SIPTU representatives have raised concerns about the effect of the Covid-19 crisis on the health and welfare of these workers with the HSE and with the departments of Health and Public Expenditure & Reform.
‘SIPTU representatives have argued that Covid-19 should be declared an occupational illness and we have requested that the HSE put in place robust measures to provide the full range of services for staff who may have contracted or come in contact with the virus. These measures should cover the possibility of workers developing PTSD as a result of the Covid crisis.’
The spokesman added: ‘We believe the HSE has the competency and resources at its disposal to do the necessary research on the impact of Covid-19 on healthcare workers, including the prevalence of PTSD and we have asked that it and the Department of Health undertake this important work. Such research is essential to ensure that the health services have the capacity to effectively deal with any such pandemic emergency in the future.’
Many hospitals around the country are encouraging their staff who worked during the Covid-19 crisis to avail of counselling services and this weekend INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha confirmed it was providing its members with free counselling.
More than 8,018 health workers contracted Covid-19 while at work and, according to the INMO, 4,823 health workers are still out sick.
The Department of Health referred all queries to the HSE about possible research into how health workers may be left traumatised from dealing with Covid19. But the health authority declined to say whether it would commission a study on how health workers may have been left traumatised after dealing with Covid patients.
A spokeswoman for the HSE explained: ‘PTSD cannot be diagnosed until six months after exposure to an event.
‘However, in the interim it is referred to as an acute stress reaction and is considered a normal reaction to a traumatic event.
‘The HSE Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is available free of charge to all HSE employees.
‘The internal EAP service has specialist workplace counselling knowledge, including a specialist knowledge of PTSD should this be required and utilises an in-depth understanding of the organisational culture and structures to provide a bespoke service to staff.’