NHS BAME staff: ‘Traumatised, stressed and burnt out’

Dr Abhay Khatun* is a doctor based in Reading. He admitted considering leaving the NHS due to the workload, saying that he was not surprised by some staff wanting to leave the health services, as the pandemic “was the final straw”.

“The way (the crisis) was handled and the lack of having a clear message on guidelines did not help the situation,” he told Eastern Eye. “You can imagine the doctors who were already under stress, overworked, burnt out, and then Covid-19 came along and it was probably the final straw. I can understand why they came to that conclusion.”

Dr JS Bamrah is a consultant psychiatrist at North Manchester general hospital as well as the national chairman for British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO). Several senior NHS doctors he spoke to told him they wanted to quit. Dr Bamrah attributed this to the stress of the job, as well as the increased vulnerability of ethnic minority staff.

“BAME doctors have been disproportionately affected, so imagine having to go to work, knowing you’re in a certain group of vulnerable people and knowing that risk assessments are not being carried out as they should be by hospital trusts and practices,” he told Eastern Eye. “The doctors are concerned about themselves, but also for their families.”

Describing his own experiences as “tough”, Dr Bamrah said he knew many colleagues who suffered with exhaustion, sleep disturbance and anxiety.

“Some of them are already feeling a bit of a burn out,” he said. “That usual enthusiasm they have for going to work… some are struggling with that.”

Although Dr Afzal has not considered leaving the NHS, she did reduce her hours at a walk-in centre as she feared contracting Covid-19 from patients. Her daughter suffers from asthma, so the GP highlighted the need to protect her from the disease.

During her time at the walk-in centre, Dr Afzal treated a female patient who had a fever and a cough and later tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. “I was very anxious afterwards, worrying that I had caught it from her,” she said. “When I was doing shifts (at the walk-in centre) you didn’t know what was going to come through the door, what symptoms they would have and it was very stressful.”

Dr Afzal said she was not aware of any support for healthcare staff suffering from mental health problems. She believes an initiative should be put in place, as it would be “more accepting” for staff to admit they were struggling. “At the moment, if you go in and ask for help, there is a fear that (officials) could say, ‘well no one else has needed help’,” she said. “You’re scared of being judged. If they had universally given everyone support, that would have been the better thing to do.”

Jagtar Singh, chairman of an NHS mental health trust in Coventry, confirmed they had been offering support to staff who had been struggling emotionally during the crisis. “Our workforce has felt a big impact during the pandemic – especially among BAME staff as they are more vulnerable,” he told Eastern Eye.

The trust had introduced initiatives, including a ‘self help’ app which encourages mindfulness sessions and a weekly ‘staff conversation’ where individuals can highlight any concerns they may have, he said. However, Singh could not confirm how many staff members approached the trust with mental health concerns.

Dr Bamrah highlighted a voluntary mentorship support offered to NHS staff by BAPIO. He also noted a free counselling service offered by BMA. However, he admitted many did not access the support as “freely as (he) would have liked”.

Although Dr Dave said the stress “wasn’t as intense” as the initial months of lockdown, she admitted that the “anxiety never quite leaves you”.

In recent weeks, the cases of Covid-19 in the UK have been rising. New restrictions were introduced on Monday (14), to limit the number of people meeting. Local lockdowns are still in place in parts of Greater Manchester, Lancashire and West Yorkshire.

Dr Dave said she had concerns about the recent increase in infections and the impact it could potentially have on the wellbeing of NHS staff. She highlighted the level of backlog, which occurred during lockdown when many operations and appointments were delayed due to the crisis.

“We haven’t yet caught up with that lag so there is a combination of backlog, increased demand and reduced capacity which is really tricky,” she said. “Over the winter, it is going to be really tough. I can foresee a very difficult few months from now till the end of winter, before there might be some sort of easing of pressure.”

In response to Eastern Eye, a NHS England spokesperson acknowledged extra support was both needed and available for staff. “(This includes) offering NHS mental health care and support within trusts, and new text, online and telephone support services, which have already been used by thousands of people,” the spokesperson said.

They added: “Covid-19 has also put an unprecedented spotlight on wider challenges our society faces. It is further evidence for why NHS organisations have been asked to prioritise and carry out risk assessments for their black and minority ethnic staff and other vulnerable groups, and if any colleague is concerned, they should raise this within their trust and be listened to.”

*Name has been changed to protect identity