New research from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has revealed that workplace conditions are a contributing factor in mental health crises in the sector, with a 76 per cent increase in members of staff seeking support for suicidal ideation in the first half of 2024 compared to the same six-month period in 2023.
The report indicates how nursing staff are being put under extreme pressure while at work, with key factors contributing towards suicidal thoughts identified as bullying and harassment, workload and a lack of work-life balance, as well as distress faced by some staff members going through formal proceedings.
All employers in the health and social care sector have a duty to prevent pressures such as these from contributing to suicidal ideation, with preventative measures implemented to reduce the conditions that can potentially trigger mental health crises.
Every organisation should ensure that there are designated members of staff to support at-risk individuals, with all personal tutors, occupational health clinicians and HR staff required to undergo suicide awareness and prevention training. Where work is a contributing factor to suicide, this should also be reported to the Health and Safety Executive.
The report was published alongside the launching of a new pilot scheme between the RCN and the Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, where staff experiences will be reviewed and changes to workplace culture explored to deliver improvements in staff wellbeing, including mental health.
The aim is to develop a nationwide framework that every employer in the health and care system will be able to use.
Professor Nicola Ranger, RCN general secretary and chief executive, commented on the report, saying: “It’s becoming increasingly clear that workplace pressures are contributing to a rise in suicidal thoughts among nursing staff. This is a very serious issue that requires the full attention of ministers and employers.
“Nursing is a brilliant and rewarding career, but it can also be physically and emotionally draining. While suicide is a complex issue, employers have an important duty of care towards their staff, to provide a healthy working environment, ensuring pressures at work do not become too great and push people into a mental health crisis.”
She went on to say that the bedrock of quality care provision is healthy and happy workplaces and, as such, a national set of standards across all UK health and care settings is now desperately required.
These standards must be built around compassion and prevention, encouraging employees to seek out support when necessary to ensure that mental health interventions are carried out in an effective and timely way.
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Paul Higham
Suicide Bereavement UK
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Email: paul.higham@suicidebereavementuk.com