Resilience Hub supports health, care and emergency services staff across North Yorkshire and Humber, Coast and Vale

18 January, 2022

It’s been 11 months since a new Resilience Hub was launched to support health, care and emergency services staff across North Yorkshire and The Humber, Coast and Vale and it’s making a huge difference to those who’ve used it. The service has already helped over 430 frontline workers and 145 teams across Hull, East Yorkshire, York, North Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire who have been struggling with the impact of COVID-19.

The Humber, Coast and Vale Resilience Hub (www.hcvresiliencehub.nhs.uk) was commissioned by the Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership in response to the growing pressures on frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.  It’s a completely confidential service and offers frontline workers and their families advice and support for a range of issues such as emotional wellbeing to bereavement, debt, domestic violence and relationship issues.

Commenting on the service Michele Moran, SRO of the Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Collaborative Programme said, “Health, care and emergency workers have been under enormous pressure over the last 18 months and for many the impact is still continuing. It’s so important that we recognise the strain that has been put on people and their families and that they know where they can turn to for support.”

The Humber, Coast and Vale Resilience Hub brings together and builds on existing support offers from individual organisations across the region, by helping people who need support to quickly access the best advice and treatment. The Hub is open to anyone working or living in Hull, East Yorkshire, York, North Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire.

As well as offering online self-help support and signposting, people can also get mental wellbeing support from an expert team of psychologists and health professionals by completing a simple online wellbeing questionnaire which assesses their level of need (www.hcvresiliencehub.nhs.uk/wellbeing-questionnaire)

Dr Jo Jordan, Clinical Lead and Consultant Psychologist for the Resilience Hub added, “It’s not always easy for health professionals to ask for support. Our Hub provides an independent and confidential space for people to seek support, outside of their organisational environment.

“We are also working closely with wellbeing and HR teams in organisations across the area to provide direct support to their services and staff where needed, as well as running a series of support groups to help people with specific issues.”

The Humber, Coast and Vale Resilience Hub’s Long COVID peer support is just one of the groups, which has been well received. The group is for anyone experiencing symptoms of long-COVID and offers people the opportunity to meet with others who are experiencing similar symptoms and share their experiences in a safe environment. Over 70 people have already had support and more are signed up for future groups.

An NHS worker who has used the Resilience Hub said, “I made contact with the Resilience Hub following a period of mainly work-related stress and anxiety when I got to a point that I was feeling truly overwhelmed by even the simplest task.  A colleague at work suggested I contacted the Resilience Hub and I self-referred online.  After completing a straightforward online questionnaire, I was contacted within a day and offered an appointment with a mental health advanced practitioner at a date and time to suit me. Within two sessions I was already feeling much better and in control again and given simple tools and techniques to use when the feelings of anxiety returned.  The practitioner was so caring and understanding of my situation and helped me to work through the issues I was having.  I really wish I had reached out for support earlier and would say to others in a similar situation, don’t sit and suffer alone, support is there, take it, work through your problems and hopefully then you can move on with your life.”

Rebecca Scarr, who leads on wellbeing at City Health Care Partnership CIC, explains how the Humber, Coast and Vale Resilience Hub has helped staff across their organisation: “The Resilience Hub has been a fantastic resource for our colleagues. Just having somewhere to turn for support and an expert ear to listen is invaluable when people are dealing with such high levels of emotional trauma. And it’s been so helpful for our HR team to be able to signpost individuals and teams, knowing that they’ll be picked up quickly and their issues addressed sensitively and confidentially.”

Humber, Coast and Vale Resilience Hub is a joint venture between Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, NAViGO Health and Social Care CIC and City Health Care Partnership CIC and is funded by NHS England and the Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership. Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) and Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust are also supporting in the delivery of the service.

If you are a health, care or emergency services worker and live or work in North Yorkshire or the Humber, Coast and Vale and you feel you could benefit from extra support at this time visit www.hcvresiliencehub.nhs.uk.