MHM Magazine

Issue 61 | 2022 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | 27 MHM anxiety of what was to come and discussed coping strategies during times of distress. The concept of Psychological First Aid was explained, and its value during crisis emphasised An example of one of the workshops and training provided was a presentation on ' “How to lead your team with strength and compassion”. This was presented to various Gauteng health-based teams in the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and Sedibeng cluster and the National Institute for Occupational Health. these workshops focused on the expected emotional consequences for healthcare workers during the pandemic. We provided support and guidance to the managers of teams and occupational health specialists. The aim was to disseminate information from a top-down approach and educate managers to support their team members. The HWCN team used research and examples from countries such as China, Italy, and the US to help prepare the workforce in South Africa. The second aim of the Healthcare Workers Network was to provide counselling to individual healthcare workers. A call was made for volunteers, and to date, over 700 mental health care providers have signed up on the database. In January 2022, approximately 100 were still actively involved in the network. Any healthcare worker across South Africa can access the network and is eligible for four probono counselling sessions. All counselling sessions are provided by an HPCSA registered provider (psychologist, registered counsellor, or psychiatrist) or by a social worker. Ways of accessing the network include navigating to the website https://www. healthcareworkerscarenetwork.org . za or by calling our helpline 0800 21 21 21. To date, over 240 healthcare workers have started counselling sessions. Our volunteers have provided over 650 sessions. We asked the therapists for generalised anonymous feedback from these sessions. Common themes that emerged through the sessions included anxiety around contracting COVID-19 and infecting family members, feeling overwhelmed within the workplace, and dealing with loss and grief. The HWCN research team is preparing a qualitative research article to elaborate on these findings. Appropriate, ethically correct research protocols have been followed. We have looked at some of the emerging quantitative anonymised data. The healthcare workers were divided into • Medical Doctors • Allied Health care professionals • Support staff (kitchen, admin, and security in health facilities) • Nursing staff. Interestingly, amongst all healthcare workers who reached out for assistance, medical doctors were twice as likely to offer therapy sessions compared to allied health care workers. Nurses were 0.8 times less likely to take up therapy sessions than support staff. More research is needed to explain these findings. Access to the services may be difficult for some who do not have easy access to the internet or a smartphone. The cost of data was seen as a potential dissuading factor in seeking care. Most sessions were held telephonically, via video calls or on telehealth platforms. This allowed healthcare workers around the country to access the services but may also be a limiting factor. The Health Care Workers Care Network is a new service, and challenges have arisen during its roll out. Funding constraints impact the ability to market the service nationally. To date, most healthcare workers who have accessed the benefits are from Gauteng. All the mental health care providers volunteer their time, which can limit the network's progression. The Healthcare Workers Care Network are very thankful for some private funding from various health-related organizations. The South African Anxiety and Depression Group provide invaluable logistical support in handling requests and calls and operate as the main administrators of the network. Our vision is to grow the network into a sustainable service that can continue to provide easy access to counselling to healthcare workers, and to continue to educate healthcare workers on occupational mental health related issues. References available upon request