Written evidence submitted by the London South Bank University, Health Innovation Lab (WBR0081)

Alongside the frustrations, difficulties and challenges of the pandemic, many great things are also happening in the healthcare system. We undertook a survey of NHS clinicians and managers to help the NHS bring this all together so that we don’t end up going back to old, less effective habits.

Significant within this were a number of specific innovations that relate to workforce burnout and resilience. These innovations should now be embedded in the NHS.

Here are the extracts from the report “10 Leaps Forward. Innovation in the Pandemic. What we want to keep from this experience – going ‘back to better’. 

Available here https://beckymalby.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/lsbu-back-to-better-may-2020-fin.pdf

The key innovations related to workforce resilience fell into these categories:

1. Staff were valued

“It’s been a game changer in terms of team morale and my own wellbeing.”

“My working conditions under Covid have been 100% better than any other time I have ever worked and I’ve been a doctor for 10 years.”

“Staff wellbeing and experience needs a complete overhaul - so much of what

has been done in recent weeks is ground breaking, sets new standards.”

“It feels extraordinary to be valued for just doing my job.”

What this means:

This demonstrates the difficult conditions NHS staff have been working with prior to

the pandemic.

• Staff really appreciate the moves to make it easier to get to work (rescinding
• parking charges, bike discounts, accommodation near the hospital)
• Wellbeing in the workplace is now taken seriously
• There are mentions of access to food and water 24/7 and space for time-out if
• distressed/ stressed
• Collaboration between NHS and charity sector to meet staff needs
• More balanced working day and flexibility in work - including online training
• Recognition of the role of key workers by society “I’m not just a nurse, I’m a nurse”
• Staff deal with difficult decisions, with people’s suffering every day, they need
• support for the emotional labour of that work.

2. Great Teams

“We have gone ward-based, one team per ward or two wards - nurses, doctors, physios, dieticians, discharge team. It makes a huge difference in terms of the doctors feeling more integrated into the MDT instead of visitors on a 'safari’ in the wards.“

"We have started to have check in and out socially distanced huddles for clinical and nonclinical staff together at the beginning and ends of the day to share info and check in with staff - we are hoping to keep this going as it has really improved the team spirit.“

“Treating members of the team as adults e.g. if an admin problem then admin finds the solution, nurse problem then nurses find the solution.”

What this means:

Examples of people working together:

• Check-ins and huddles daily with the whole team.
• Regular staff meetings. Time to discuss patients.
• Headroom to think and plan ahead.
• Team cohesion and emphasis on a supportive environment for all staff in the
• department
• Being a MDT ward team
• The teams being clear about purpose together
• Protected lunch team meetings to regroup

October 2020