Pandemic taking toll on mental health of emergency workers
STAFF in the ambulance, police and fire services have laid bare the scale of poor mental health among their workforce in Wales.
An online survey by Mind Cymru, involving 250 staff and volunteers in all three emergency services, found that Welsh Ambulance Service employees have seen the biggest decline in their mental health since the pandemic began.
Only one in three (33%) ambulance staff reported their current mental health as very good or good compared to two in five police (44%) and almost half (49%) survey respondents working within the fire service.
Ambulance staff were the most likely (72%) to say their mental health has worsened since the start of the coronavirus crisis, compared to police (56%) or fire (61%).
The highest proportion of respondents reporting they had poor mental health were within the ambulance service, at almost one in three (30%). This compares to just under one in four (22%) respondents from the police service and just under one in 10 (11%) within the fire service.
Liz Wedley, area operations manager at the Welsh Ambulance Service, believes it will be difficult to provide mental health support to all staff who need it postpandemic.
She said: “The pandemic has been really difficult for us. We’ve gone from what was already a busy, highly pressured service to having to deal with a pandemic with the same number of people. It’s been a real stretch.
“The military and St John assisted at the peak which was a great help and we cannot thank them enough.
“On the one hand, our response to the pandemic created a really strong team environment, where everyone stepped up and pulled together. In the early days, it almost strengthened us. People have become more open about talking about the difficulties they are having with their mental health too, which is a real positive.
“However, as time has gone on, I see more and more people almost running on autopilot, just getting through the working day. They are living on their nerves. Even in a debrief after a traumatic incident, you have to do it in a Covid-19 safe way – you can’t give people a hug if they’re struggling. You never really relax.
“At some point I’m very concerned that all the feelings people are putting to one side are going to come out. How do we, as a service and as a society, support them? The delayed impact is a real worry for me.”
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s mental health project lead, crew manager David Crews, said staff across the service have stepped forward to offer support in the fight against Covid-19, including driving ambulances and volunteering at vaccinations centres.
“Working within an emergency service role brings with it its own unique challenges especially during this pandemic,” he said.
“Mental well-being can be affected by the nature of some of the operational roles within the service. The pandemic has changed the way we communicate and socialise with each other, this was a key challenge throughout the pandemic.
“It’s fair to say our mental health and well-being has been affected by Covid-19 and the true impact of Covid-19 on our mental health won’t be seen for a while yet.
“It’s important to recognise that staff and our community still feel anxious around Covid-19.”
Lucy Morris, a police officer working in front line response for Dyfed-Powys Police, admitted the last 12 months have been “really difficult” and particularly scary to begin with.
“It was hard to know how we would be able to do our jobs while being faced with such a serious and invisible illness.
“I’ve had anxiety for a couple of years now and the pandemic hasn’t helped,” she added.
“Doing the job has become harder as the months have gone on. The first lock
‘...the true impact of Covid-19 on our mental health won’t be seen for a while yet’
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service manager David Crews
down was relatively quiet, most people stayed at home and we didn’t get that many call-outs.
“However the second wave was much more difficult. More people caught Covid-19, and we were short staffed and people began to burn out.
“I’ve found that I’m feeling mentally drained as the months go on, and that is affecting my anxiety.
“I try to combat it by doing mindful things – taking my dog for a walk, colouring, reading, even roller skating with members of my team.
“Anything I can do to switch off for a while.”
The online poll was released to coincide with the launch of Mind Cymru’s Blue Light Programme of well-being support for the emergency services, which has been funded by The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Responding to the survey findings, Sue O’Leary, interim director of Mind Cymru, said: “We know that even before the coronavirus outbreak there were high rates of poor mental health across the emergency services.
“This latest survey shows that the mental health of our emergency responders has got even worse, with ambulance staff and volunteers hardest hit.
“Blue light staff have told us that working within the emergency services – especially the ambulance service – is a hugely rewarding but challenging job.
“The people who responded to our survey have made it clear that the pandemic has made their jobs even more demanding.
“They are making more difficult and potentially life-and-death decisions on a daily basis, as well as dealing with death and bereavement, in addition to concerns for their own health and well-being and that of their loved ones.
“It’s really important that our hard-working emergency responders are able to access support for their well-being if and when they need it.
“Thanks to funding from the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Covid-19 Response Fund, we will be initially looking to make new resources available to support those within blue light services in Wales with a view to extending training and support opportunities.”