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External services and helplines

NATIONAL NHS STAFF HOTLINE SERVICE

A national service to support the mental health of NHS staff tackling COVID-19 is available.

You can call or text a free number staffed by thousands of specially trained volunteers, to receive support and advice for the pressures you are facing.  The volunteers will listen to you and give psychological support to those in need.

Anyone who requires further help will be signposted to other services ranging from practical and financial assistance through to specialist bereavement and psychological support.

  • Telephone: 0300 131 7000 (7am to 11 pm every day)
  • For the 24/7 text helpline, simply text FRONTLINE to 85258

 

NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK SUPPORT SERVICE

The Norfolk and Suffolk COVID-19 support service; run in partnership by Suffolk MIND and Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) will give all health and care staff rapid access to mental health support from local mental health specialists.

Health and care staff can call the confidential COVID-19 support service on 0300 123 1335 - Monday to Friday 09:30 – 16:30 Specially trained, Suffolk MIND call handlers will offer emotional support, signposting and referral into the dedicated COVID support clinical team run by NSFT if treatment is needed.

 

NSFT HELPLINE SERVICE

NSFT (our local mental health Trust) run a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week telephone support service for people struggling with their mental health who need an urgent mental health response.

It is called ‘First Response’ and is accessible on 111 (option 2).

It is staffed by qualified practitioners in mental health.

 

FRONTLINE TEXT SUPPORT

There is text support 24/7 where a mental health practitioner can support you via text chat if you text FRONTLINE to 85258.

This is free and confidential.

 

SUFFOLK MIND WELLBEING WORKSHOPS

Suffolk Mind are offering free services to all NHS staff during the COVID-19 response. There are virtual meetings with experts, as well as two pieces of interactive training on meeting emotional needs and on keeping calm. 

For full information and access to the workshops and training, visit this website.

 

PRACTITIONERS' HEALTH PROGRAM

Doctors and dentists can self-refer themselves to the practitioners' health program. The program helps those with anxiety, depression, addiction and other mental health issues. 

For full information on the service and how to self-refer, click the link here.

 

 

Change to covid-19 swabbing for staff and family

Since the start of the pandemic, the NHS has built a significant testing operation that includes walk-in and drive through test sites and at home testing. It has also invested in large-scale laboratories that can process and analyse swabs at scale and speed.

As a result, from November 1 we are making some changes to our approach to in-house PCR testing.We will no longer routinely offer Covid-19 PCR tests for staff or their families with suspected symptoms, or who have been identified as potential contacts of someone with Covid away from work. Instead, staff should use their nearest NHS testing centre - you can book online or by calling 119.

We will no longer operate the current testing pods near the Emergency Department at West Suffolk Hospital. We will continue to swab and test patients, and we will also offer PCR tests to staff in the event of a suspected outbreak at work. These changes will help us focus on patient testing to help with capacity across our services, and will often mean faster turnaround for staff results by taking advantage of national laboratory capacity. Staff will also be able to more easily register their results in the NHS Covid App.

NATIONAL INFORMATION AND ADVICE

National information and advice on the UK’s COVID-19 response is available on the NHS website. Visit the gov.uk website for the latest national guidance.