The RCN have actively welcomed an announcement which has been made. It has been made public that the NHS are going to invest around £15 million to try and strengthen the mental health support network that they have. The investment is going to be funding outreach to those who are deemed to be the most at risk. This happens to include critical care staff.

If you work in a nurse agency or if you happen to work in a nursing recruitment agency then you will know what a step forward this is. The rapid assessment is going to be done to try and make sure that those who have the most severe needs are focused on first. Dame Donna Kinnair who works for the RCN has stated that this further level of support is going to recognise the fact that mental health is just as important as physical health.

This pandemic has meant that nurses need to show more dedication than ever and that some nursing staff have ultimately needed to make decisions which end up putting the needs of their patients above the needs of their own. This is phenomenal to say the least, but it just goes to show what a fantastic workforce that we have. A lot of the factors that happen to worsen mental health include being away from family, having an unhealthy work pattern and even a shortage of staff. The pandemic has brought about all of this and it just goes to show that more needs to be done to make sure that people are not only given support, but also guidance as they navigate this very difficult time. Only time will tell if the right changes are made, but right now things are looking very positive.