In March 2020, the UK’s Prime Minister announced the very first lockdown. What was supposed to last for 12 weeks, stretched to almost two years as fluctuating numbers and contradicting guidance interfered with both our personal and professional lives.
Of course, there was no sector hit worse than the healthcare sector.
Various studies have shown the devastating impact that Covid-19 has had on the NHS, with health care workers reporting feelings of exhaustion, and fear of contracting and transmitting the disease as two of their highest worries at the time. This, of course, added with the rising feelings of stress and anxiety, the longer shift patterns, and increasing staff absence put extra pressure on an already struggling service.
And clapping from our windows on a Thursday evening couldn’t have changed the way our government handled this crisis.
So now, with lockdowns a thing of the past and restrictions easing, how can we look forward to rebuilding a more successful health care system?
At CareDial, we’ve listened to the challenges our careworkers have faced over the past two years. Though incredibly difficult, the pandemic allowed us to bring to light the issues that were plaguing the sector, and that light shone brighter than ever!
Through the use of social media, careworkers from across the globe got to share their grievances while also offering each other solutions. And here is what we found:
1. Mental health? It matters!
Like, duh! Anxiety and depression have been prevalent in Western society since… well… forever! Self-isolations, loneliness, and fear of losing a loved one all played a part in increasing this tension. With social media now highlighting the importance of self-care, self-compassion, and REST, corporations are finally starting to understand that a strict 40-hour week of constant "productivity" is not (and never was) the model to base a business around.
At CareDial, our healthcare workers get to choose their own hours. Do you have one hour on a Thursday afternoon free? Helping someone with their shopping, or to walk their dog, not only takes pressure off of them, but it allows you, the carer giver, to do something productive on your own terms. This means you can prioritise your own time, thus, your own self-care, while caring for others in the process.
2. Pandemic Fatigue
Nothing new here. Longer working hours with less staff to help are bound to cause more stress than one can handle! As well as allowing our careworkers to choose their own hours, you will get to choose who you’re matched with based on your skillset and preferences. Are you better at financial planning than you are at cooking? Perhaps you could lend a spare seat in your car to someone in need? Not a problem. There is always someone who could your skills in this life, and you’re always in charge of how you use them!
3. Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities
One thing that has been made incredibly prevalent during the pandemic is just how disproportionate the infection and death rates are. Migrants, low-income earners, and people on non-White backgrounds have suffered the worst, and this has also affected healthcare workers.
We will always strive to maintain equity in our workforce, making way for care providers of all nationalities, regardless of your gender, religious beliefs, or socioeconomic background.
4. Normalise This.
It is our duty as health care providers to ensure that care givers, and as extension, care receivers, really are treated with love and care we hope to see in the world. By talking, sharing, and understanding our situation, we remove the stigma that mental health care is “bad”. We have seen such an increase in hashtags and pages dedicated to advocating for our mental health that it’s now a conversation standard. In doing so, caring for patients becomes easier because we understand how normal it is to not want to get out of bed in the morning, or stay inside even when the sun is beaming on us from above.
We are opening avenues for mental health to be seen as the critical part of one’s health that it is, rather than a disease to be afraid or ashamed of.
Furthermore, work-related mental health concerns are immediately taken more seriously too. The best part about flexible working hours is that if you know you need a break, you are encouraged to take it. because… how can anyone hope to care for someone else without putting themselves and their own health care needs in the forefront? And yes, that does include the physical and the mental side of things. Our hope is that through more conversation, and more advocation, we can change the direction of health care for both providers and receivers.
