Three members of staff from The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn have had a weekend to remember after being invited by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to watch tonight’s Heads Up FA Cup Final live at Sandringham.
Gemma Crittenden, Ward Sister, Darren Uppington, Porter and Jeannette Walsh, Information Governance Officer, joined other front-line workers to watch the FA Cup match at Sandringham with The Duke and Duchess and in doing so take part in the conversation about mental health.
QEH has been at the forefront of innovative solutions put in place to maximise emotional wellness support for staff during COVID-19. The Trust has a Clinical Psychology helpline which 150 staff have benefited from since April 2020. QEH was one of the first NHS Trusts in the country to introduce dedicated ‘wobble rooms’ on every ward and in our Sacred Space to support staff when they need time away from our busy wards. The Trust is investing in a dedicated Clinical Psychologist and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder posts to support staff in the recovery phase of COVID-19, as part of its staff health and wellbeing programme.
Jeannette Walsh, who has worked at the QEH for 12 years, commented: “Staff have had to really dig deep during COVID-19. It’s been a difficult couple of months. I’d encourage all of my colleagues to make use of the mental health resources available to us through the Trust. As a keen football fan, the FA Cup is one of my favourite days of the year and I feel really privileged to be here this evening.”
Caroline Shaw, Chief Executive at the QEH, commented: “I’m really pleased that Gemma, Darren and Jeanette were invited to attend this fantastic event on behalf of the staff here at the Trust. At the QEH we take the mental health of our staff and volunteers very seriously, we’re always looking for ways to break down the stigma surrounding mental health, and it’s fitting that our staff were invited to join in the discussion.”
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The Heads Up campaign is a partnership between The FA and Heads Together. Heads Together is a mental health initiative spearheaded by The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, which combines a campaign to tackle stigma and change the conversation on mental health with fundraising for a series of innovative new mental health services.
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