The new Traumatic Incident Service aims to provide support and guidance to staff who have experienced an incident at work that may have caused distress.
Liz Tallentire, Principal Clinical Psychologist & Mindfulness Teacher at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals said: “These incidents could be anything, as what people find distressing varies greatly and is not related to the objective severity of the incident. It is normal to experience distress following an incident, this may happen for some people and not others. However, if a member of staff or team feel they would benefit from having someone outside the situation to talk to and explain what to expect then we may be able to provide further support.”The service will be led by Liz and supported by a team of trained incident staff supporters. This will enable individuals the opportunity to talk about their feelings following an incident, receive information about common experiences and where to access professional support if needed.
Rachel O’Brien, Strategic Workforce Business Partner at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals said: “It is really important to us to help our staff feel healthy and well, so that they can deliver the best possible care to our patients. We have a huge variety of activities on offer to support staff with their physical health, including exercise groups, health checks, physiotherapy and smoking cessation advice; and looking after psychological health is equally as important. We have already introduced mindfulness training and a clinical psychology service and we’re really happy to be launching the new Traumatic Incident Service which will be another way for our staff to receive the support that they need and deserve.”