An innovative new pilot is set to launch in Bristol hospitals funded by a £236,843 grant to Southmead Hospital Charity and Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity.
The workplace wellbeing grant from NHS Charities Together and NHS England will fund a fatigue risk management pilot across Bristol NHS Group hospitals, providing crucial support to help improve the wellbeing of thousands of NHS staff.
The project is the first of its kind and the ambition is to create a nationally recognized model for fatigue risk management, which can be rolled out in other NHS Trusts around the county.
As the NHS faces another winter predicted to be one of the busiest on record, the additional support for healthcare staff will identify and reduce the risks associated with workforce fatigue and could transform the way the NHS monitors and manages fatigue risk across the country.
Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity and Southmead Hospital Charity will pilot the programme across Bristol NHS Group, aiming to decrease the stigma around reporting and discussing staff fatigue and change the culture. The funding will pilot a six-part programme designed to understand and influence organisational policies, shift design, and break culture. It will go on to create interventions to support staff wellbeing and, subsequently, reduce sickness, improve staff retention, and improve patient safety.
Sally Bennett, Director of Southmead Hospital Charity, said:
“This funding is a vital investment in the wellbeing of NHS staff in North Bristol and across Bristol NHS Group. Our teams work tirelessly to care for patients, often under immense pressure, and this support will allow us to create meaningful, long-term solutions to tackle fatigue and improve staff wellbeing. By introducing innovative approaches that address these challenges at a systemic level, we can help ensure our colleagues feel supported and able to deliver the best possible care.
“We are deeply grateful to NHS Charities Together and NHS England for recognising the importance of this work and for their commitment to helping us make a real difference.”
Katie Walker, CEO at Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity, said:
“We all know that it’s NHS staff that make the NHS the national treasure that it is. They go above and beyond for their patients every single day, but the workforce is at significant risk of fatigue and burnout.
“Up until now, staff wellbeing initiatives have focused on treating the problem. This funding will help us address and prevent the significant and systemic issues that contribute to the risk of fatigue in our NHS team.
“We are incredibly grateful to NHS Charities Together and NHS England for this funding.”
Ellie Orton, CEO, NHS Charities Together, said:
“Many NHS staff feel that theirs is the best job in the world, but these roles come with a tremendous responsibility for the lives they care for, and at a time of incredible pressure on health services, this takes a toll on their mental and physical wellbeing.
“In the face of so many wider healthcare challenges it can be easy to forget about healthcare staff, but it goes without saying that we need a healthy workforce if we want a thriving NHS that can give patients the care they need.
“This funding means NHS charities like Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity and Southmead Hospital Charity can help ensure NHS staff prioritise their own health and wellness with the same care they give to patients, and we are delighted we can support this important work. We’ve spent a lot of time talking to frontline staff and analysing evidence from previous projects to arrive at solutions that will give healthcare staff the right tools to look after their own wellbeing.
“Applications are now open for a second round of grant funding as part of this programme, in partnership with NHS England, and we’re excited to continue our work with NHS charities and other organisations to help the NHS go further for everyone.”
