Mental wellbeing and welfare

WQ.25/2021

WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHIEF MINISTER

BY SENATOR S.W. PALLETT

QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 1st FEBRUARY 2021 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 8th FEBRUARY 2021

Question

Will the Chief Minister provide, since the outbreak of Covid-19, for Government of Jersey staff –

1. a list detailing any mental health, wellbeing and welfare support measures that have been made available to members of staff of all grades;
2. the number of staff members who voluntarily used any such measures;
3. the number of referrals of staff to such measures;
4. the number of alerts that have been raised by Managers in relation to the wellbeing of individual members of staff;
5. details of any advice, training or other support measures that have been provided to those in managerial roles within the Government of Jersey, to assist in identifying and supporting staff that may be suffering from poor mental health; and
6. details of any enhanced mental health, wellbeing and welfare support measures that have been made available to those in senior positions, including the Director Generals?

Answer

1. a list detailing any mental health, wellbeing and welfare support measures that have been made available to members of staff of all grades;

Before the coronavirus pandemic, employees had and continue to have access to a range of mental health support. This includes 24/7 access to the Be Supported' Employee Assistance Programme and access to local face to face, and telephone counselling support for employees in crisis. In addition, we have provided off island 1:1 support to colleagues who have expressed a preference for off island support. During this period, we have helped colleagues to build and maintain good mental health and provided tools such as webinars, the Thrive' App, and an employee support pack (which signposts where help is available both internally and externally on island). Through regular communications such as Wellbeing Wednesday' and regular newsletters we have detailed steps that colleagues can take to improve and maintain good mental and physical health. We have taken steps to grow and improve our network of mental health first aiders with the aim of ensuring that everyone has a listening ear.

We arranged access, after an assessment, to independently provided peer to peer support and counselling for employees.

Recognising that many of our colleagues are working in different locations both at home and in the office, we have carried out healthy working assessments which include prompts around mental health with regards to:

• Those remaining at home

• Anyone suffering from anxiety about returning to the workplace

• Supporting those who have struggled during the COVID period.

Individuals can share with their line manager or if they prefer seek support as outlined above. A simple to use stress risk assessment process is available to all staff as a means of promoting conversations about wellbeing.

Current provision of Wellbeing support for employees:

Be Supported

• Employee Assistance programme 24/7 & 365 freephone helpline

• Covers all employees and immediate family members

• Provides support for any problem e.g. stress, work issues, financial problems, addictions, carer worries.

• Includes Health at Hand – specific help and advice about health issues (does not offer treatment service)

• Includes counselling support (e-counselling, online counselling, telephone counselling and face to face on island counselling)

• Offers up to 6 sessions free 1:1 then 4 further sessions depending on individual need

• Counselling determined by triage

Off island 1:1 support (provided May-Sept 2020)

Independent peer to peer support or counselling accessed via an assessment of need.

On Island Counselling

Offers up to 6 sessions free 1:1 then 4 further sessions depending on individual need. We have received very positive feedback on this service.

Island life

Additional support offered depending on reason for the referral

Thrive

Free to use app used by NHS

Evidence-based, providing in-depth tools and support for anyone to improve their mental wellbeing Available to all employees

Employee Support Pack

Two versions – one for HCS staff and more a general version for all others

Slimmed down version as Welcome back to work pack for those returning to the workplace

Mental Health First Aider (MHFA') Network

Available across all depts – a list is available on MyStates

Regular update sessions held for MHFAs to support their skills

Linked to MIND Jersey

A Separate network being developed for schools

Approximately 200 will be trained by the end of March (169 at present). The aim is to provide a network of listening ears' and sign-posters to appropriate further support

Know Your Numbers

Primarily geared to fitness, this is also used as a way of supporting colleagues to build resilience and develop coping strategies for managing stress  

Training

General MH awareness via the Cardinus platform Available for all employees

1 hr duration

Mental Health Awareness (MH England First Aid Light Equivalent) For Managers

4 hrs duration (equivalent to managing H&S for managers)

Mental Health First Aider (MH England)

Training for MH first Aiders who form part of the MHFA network 2 days

Trauma Risk Incident Management (TRIM')

Some TRIM practitioners in HCS and JHA. Rationalising in progress to cover across all departments This training is due to be updated in Fire and Ambulance

2. the number of staff members who voluntarily used any such measures;

161 colleagues accessed counselling (telephone, face to face and e-counselling) support through the BeSupported service in 2020. 300 calls in total were made to the service.

Many colleagues requesting support do so in confidence and hence the numbers receiving support, for example via Mental Health First Aiders, are not logged.

3. the number of referrals of staff to such measures;

Staff self-refer themselves for most of these interventions or support. Information about referrals will be held confidentially by the team or organisation to whom the referral is made and are not available to the Government.

However, during 2020 approximately 60 colleagues received face to face counselling on Island. 9 colleagues received independent support via an assessment. A further 200 referrals were made to Occupational Health by managers where stress, anxiety or depression were flagged by their staff.

4. the number of alerts that have been raised by Managers in relation to the wellbeing of individual members of staff;

We do not keep details of such alerts as many concerns are raised in confidence.

5. details of any advice, training or other support measures that have been provided to those in managerial roles within the Government of Jersey, to assist in identifying and supporting staff that may be suffering from poor mental health; and

As noted previously, we provide:

• general mental health awareness training for all employees via our Cardinus platform.

• A Mental Health England first aid light course' is now available to all managers.

• Opportunities to train as a Mental Health First Aider

6. details of any enhanced mental health, wellbeing and welfare support measures that have been made available to those in senior positions, including the Director Generals?

We treat all colleagues who may be experiencing any wellbeing issue with the same level of dignity and respect.

Director General's and other senior colleagues were provided with access to 1:1 coaching support at the peak of the pandemic response through the Team Jersey programme