New resources for tackling stress are now available and can be downloaded by all colleagues. We are asking all line managers to download and familiarise themselves with this guidance.

Our new guidance for tackling stress promotes a shift of focus which:

• Puts prevention of stress at the foundation of our approach, encouraging use and review of tools that can identify and help tackle stress
• Is complemented by the provision of and signposting to support to help individuals protect against and regulate stress
• Is rounded off by access to timely professional support for those at risk of or experiencing burnout

Preventing stress:

To enable this, a toolkit is included which features tools line managers and colleagues can use to identify stressors and promote conversations around reasonable adjustments which can be made to help keep colleagues well. It is hoped that this more proactive approach will encourage more regular review of tools and discussion of stressors – helping create a culture which promotes stress prevention.

Amongst the tools included in the prevention toolkit, which can be found in the guide itself, is a new-look Stress Risk Assessment (SRA). The new template has been designed to encourage managers and colleagues to capture actions they can take to reduce, limit or remove stressors; provide an idea of ‘what good looks like’; provide staff the chance to raise concerns that aren’t necessarily work-related and enable managers to conduct ‘Team Stress Risk Assessments’ for the first time.

To help managers use the new template, accompanying SRA Guidance is also available – which includes a guide to and top tips for conducting individual and team SRAs, as well as example adjustments which might be useful across the six HSE Management Standards.

Promoting self-management and regulation of stress:

In the new guide, information can also be found on the health & wellbeing support available to all staff which is designed to help colleagues regulate and manage stress effectively. Much of this support is that which is hosted here on balancegateshead.com, split across elements of wellbeing such as mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing.

This section of the guidance may be of particular interest to colleagues seeking to protect against stress more effectively, and is designed to acknowledge the fact that for many, stress is not always work-related. Accordingly, this section aims to capture the support and resources that are available to help those struggling with stressors in their home and personal lives, and ensure that as an organisation, we can be as supportive as is possible in helping you identify and tackle these stressors.

Nevertheless, internal and peer support networks are also promoted in this section, inclusive of support through the Staff Wellbeing Hub, Mental Health First Aiders, Professional Nurse & Midwifery Advocates and more.

Provision of professional psychological support:

Although our ultimate vision is to prevent stress in the first place, we know that some colleagues will unfortunately be at risk of or will experience burnout. In these instances, we understand the importance of the provision of timely access to professional psychological support – and the third and final section of our guide aims to set out how colleagues can access that.

Included in this section is detail around our Occupational Health Counselling Service, which can be accessed for those experiencing work-related stress. Also included is information around rapid-access to psychological support through the Staff Wellbeing Hub, as well as information on other free services available through providers like Maximus, Able Futures, NHS Talking Therapies and many more.

Nevertheless, in the spirit of a switch to a more preventative approach, this section still encourages use of these services in a more proactive approach wherever possible to ‘nip it in the bud’ – while still offering the flexibility to provide those who are experiencing burnout with the support needed.

Help us spread the word:

You can download the guides via the buttons below – where you’ll also find a button to download our new poster promoting the new materials.

You’ll be able to find the latest copy of our stress guidance and resources at any time either via our Manager Guides page, Stress page or the Occupational Health StaffZone page.

If you have any feedback on the guide, suggestions for a future version or queries on the current guidance, please email [email protected].