Bereavement charity launches short film to support doctors’ wellbeing as 60% cite anxiety, burnout and depression during pandemic

4 February 2021

Child Bereavement UK has been funded by BMA Giving to produce a short guidance film aimed at helping doctors maintain their personal resilience and wellbeing while working in the face of loss, death, and grief. The film focuses on the impact the Covid-19 pandemic has on the mental wellbeing of health professionals at a time when many are struggling with anxiety, burnout, depression, and PTSD.

The BMA’s study Covid-19: analysing the impact of coronavirus on doctors surveyed nearly 7,800 doctors from England, Northern Ireland and Wales. It revealed that almost 60% of doctors say they are now suffering from some form of anxiety, burnout and depression, with 46% saying their condition has worsened since the start of the pandemic. 67% say that their levels of fatigue and exhaustion are higher than normal as they tackle the second wave and the growing backlog of care, on top of the usual winter demand. Additionally, a study by King’s College London[i] showed that nearly half of Intensive Care Unit staff are likely to meet the threshold for PTSD, severe anxiety or problem drinking during the pandemic. The increased risk of moral injury as a result of dealing with the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic has also been identifiedⁱⁱ.

Child Bereavement UK helps children and young people (up to age 25), parents, and families, to rebuild their lives when a child dies or when a child grieves. The charity also provides bereavement training and has trained more than 135,000 professionals including doctors, nurses, and midwives, helping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families. During the pandemic, Child Bereavement UK has been providing free training for doctors via webinar, funded by BMA Giving, to help them manage their health and wellbeing.

Now Child Bereavement UK has launched For doctors: managing your wellbeing, a short guidance film presented by Dr Su Laurent, MBBS FRCPCH, Medical Advisor to the charity. In the film, Dr Laurent addresses the factors that increase the risk of mental health problems in doctors and the impact of the pandemic, signs of stress and burnout, and individual and organisational strategies to build and maintain resilience.

Dr Su Laurent said:

“Doctors have been immersed in suffering, loss and grief on an unimaginable scale whilst working under extreme pressures. The impact of witnessing death, dying and grief in the workplace cannot be underestimated. Stress should not be something doctors simply accept as an occupational hazard. Recognising when it is impacting on your work and your quality of life is not a sign of failure but of strength.”

Dr David Wrigley, BMA council deputy chair said:

"BMA Giving is delighted to have supported Child Bereavement UK in producing this film to help support doctors’ wellbeing whilst working in the face of loss, grief and bereavement. We hope that the film will provide a timely and valuable resource for doctors and medical students, as well as the patients and communities they serve at this difficult time."

To watch the short guidance film click here.

To find out more about the charity’s training, resources and Helpline for health professionals, go to our website.

Reference:

[1] The mental health of staff working in intensive care during COVID-19 – Greenberg et al.

ⁱⁱManaging mental health challenges faced by healthcare workers during covid-19 pandemic Greenberg et al.

ENDS

Latest

The Pennant Family

The Pennant family share how they’re fundraising for Child Bereavement UK in memory of their son Ned and how they’ve raised funds with three previous challenges.
Ministry of Sound Classical

The Wyldes | Cornwall
Rudimental

The Wyldes | Cornwall
Y Not Festival

Pikehall | Derbyshire

Telling a child that someone has died

It is important to tell a child of any age when someone important in their lives has died, and ideally this is done by someone who is closest to them.
Supporting bereaved children and young people

Children and young people grieve just as much as adults but they show it in different ways. Find out how you can help them and more about child grieving.
Grieving for a child of any age

The agony of losing a child of any age is unparalleled. There is no age or point in time that makes it any easier. No parent expects to face the death of their child and no grandparent expects to lose their grandchild.
When a grandparent dies - the impact on children and young people

The death of a grandparent is often a child or young person’s first encounter with the death of someone important. Parents have a great deal to manage when their own parent or carer dies. There is the grief associated with their own loss, but also the reactions and responses of their children to the death of a grandparent.
Children's understanding of death at different ages

Babies and young children have no understanding of the concept of death yet, long before they are able to talk, babies are likely to react to upset and changes in their environment brought about by the absence of a significant person.
Child Bereavement UK training

Child Bereavement UK designs and delivers training for professionals in health and social care, education, the emergency services and the voluntary and corporate sectors, equipping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families.
Contact us

Contact details for our Helpline, departments and services.
When your baby dies

When a baby lives only a short time or dies before birth due to miscarriage, stillbirth or a painful decision to end the pregnancy, people may assume that the loss is not important. This is simply not the case.
Children's understanding of death at different ages

Guidance on children's understanding of death at different ages and stages of development.
UK death & bereavement statistics

A parent of children under 18 dies every 22 minutes in the UK; around 23,600 a year. This equates to around 111 children being bereaved of a parent every day.