Peer Support Service Offers Crucial Support to Emergency Department Staff

9th October 2024
Dr Lauren Brown, Specialty Doctor, Emergency Medicine

To mark World Mental Health Day, the South Eastern Trust has launched a new Peer Support Service available to all Emergency Department staff, in recognition of the demanding and often distressing nature of work within the department.

Emergency Department staff, including Nurses, Doctors, Admin staff and Allied Health Professionals within the department can access the service, which is an initiative designed to provide emotional and practical support to help staff navigate the challenging situations they encounter while treating patients in a trauma-based environment.

 

The Peer Support Service aims to help stabilise distressing situations, offering staff a structured approach to process and understand the impact of these experiences. The service includes multiple avenues for support, such as post-incident team debriefs, independent debriefs, clinical debriefs, emotional support and signposting to further resources. By normalising the range of emotions that may arise and promoting effective coping strategies, the service helps to reduce distress and provide resilience among staff.

Post-incident team debriefs provide an opportunity for facilitated group discussions to reflect on difficult incidents, promoting understanding and emotional processing. Independent debriefs are one-to-one sessions for staff seeking individual support and guidance. Clinical debriefs focus on the clinical aspects of a case, allowing medical staff to discuss clinical challenges and outcomes while emotional support and signposting provides confidential support for staff dealing with emotional distress, alongside signposting to additional mental health and wellbeing services.

Highlighting the benefits of the new service, Emergency Medicine Specialty Doctor, Dr Lauren Brown said, “Within the Emergency Department, we try to look out for each other, especially after big events and difficult cases particularly those that involve children or young adults and cardiac arrest.  It is about supporting each other, especially junior staff as it may be the first time they see these cases.  The Peer Support Service is here to provide our team with the emotional and professional support they need to cope and continue delivering excellent care.

“With the unpredictable nature of the Emergency Department, these cases can be quite regular, so by offering this service, we support each other and try to prevent staff sickness.  It also helps improve staff morale.  It is a vital service, especially with new staff who have joined the team, it provides that additional element of support.

“It is so important that our staff feel supported not only in the care they provide, but in how they process their own feelings and experiences. Within the Emergency Department, we are one family, we are all in it together!”Staff can self-refer to the service and request support at any time by contacting the Peer Support Team directly or senior staff members on shift can inform the Peer Support Team of difficult cases or a particularly challenging day for a staff member or team.

This new service reinforces the Trust’s commitment to the well-being of staff and the importance of emotional resilience in the face of daily challenges in providing emergency care.