They show a huge leap in the amount of time health service workers have taken off because of their mental health. “The Government should not be ignoring the mental health impact that coronavirus is having on the lives of NHS staff. “Clapping is not enough – the Government must support their mental health now.”Answering the written Commons question, the Department of Health said that in 2010, mental health reasons included “'other mental disorders', 'psychological', 'stress' and 'anxiety/stress/depression/other psychiatric illnesses'”. Experts fear the unprecedented crisis unleashed by the Covid-19 pandemic will worsen existing mental health woes among frontline health staff – and trigger new problems among a whole new generation of workers. “Acknowledging that nursing staff need dedicated resources to protect their mental health is just the start and must be followed up with investment for the future, including tackling the extrinsic causes of poorer mental health.

Source: Daily Mirror June 18, 2020 21:00 UTC