Join us, 2pm, Monday 25^th May 2020, to discuss and explore ways in which we can protect and look after our mental health and well-being. Many thanks to Liam Barnes, founder of the LHF, for creating this dedicated session for student nurses.

Who are the Laura Hyde Foundation?

The Laura Hyde Foundation is the UK’s newest and only charity that focuses on mental health awareness and support specifically for our medical and emergency services personnel.

Our nurses, doctors, paramedics, firemen, police officers and carers are all exposed to stress and trauma every day. Their selflessness and passion for helping others frequently results in them bringing home the strain and pain of their daily experiences.

Our Mission:

Our mission is to ensure that all medical and emergency services workers have access to the best mental health support network available and remove the stigma associated with this. This is best summarised by our tagline of ‘Caring for those that care about us’

Where did we come from?

The Laura Hyde Foundation was set up in late 2017 in response to the tragic passing of Laura Hyde, a young naval nurse, who suffered with mental health issues, yet dedicated her life to helping others. Our simple goal is helping others who may find themselves in similar desperate situations.

Our Vision:

The Laura Hyde Foundation is pleased to announce our 2020 vision that contributes to our mission of changing the mental health landscape for the emergency and medical services.

We believe by implementing these initiatives we will bring about a needed improvement to mental health attitudes and support to ensure our frontline and healthcare workers are properly cared for.

• A clinically supervised 24 hour mental health support line for all medical and emergency services personnel
• The appointment of Mental Health First Aiders in each trust and place of work
• The appointment of a mental health champion at each workplace
• The implementation of a formal documented mental health and wellbeing policy with adequate signposting to staff in each hospital trust
• Fast track counselling referrals for healthcare and emergency services workers
• Training for all managers/supervisors in mental health support

If you have any questions, you would Liam to address in the webinar, please DM @WeStudentNurses in advance. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions live after Liam’s initial presentation. #StNMHDay

Links & Further Reading:

https://laurahydefoundation.org/

What does Student Nurse Mental Health Day mean to theWeStNs Team?

It means that student nurse mental health is acknowledged. A nursing degree is arguably one of the toughest degrees to do. Not only because of the amount of academic work there is, but also the equally weighted amount of physical working placement a student nurse has to undertake – all 2300 hours of them! Student nurses work extremely hard and are subject to many factors that contribute to poor mental health such as stress, financial difficulty, and academic strain.

Student nurses usually work for free and are exposed to all manner of experiences on placement – such as the hideous NHS staff shortages,the emotional turmoil and strain that comes with the job. They are subject to difficult situations or traumatic events. Some student nurses have no outlet or aren’t sure where to turn or who to talk to. They get up the next day and do it all over again. All the while potentially supporting a family, children, or are carers for others.

More often than not student nurses also have to work to make up for their financial deficit left by minimal loans and bursary dependant on where they are in the UK. They work in part time jobs as well as completing their assignments, doing full time free hours on placement, caring for their family, running a house, going to university and (trying) to be present in their social lives. The strain is enormous, all the while potentially racking up astronomical student debt.

It’s imperative to know that there are other student nurses out there working just as hard as you and you are not alone in this. Student Nurse Mental Health Day means that other student nurses are able to share their coping mechanisms and strategies, talk about their experiences, reach out and potentially make friends. Therefore, strengthening their support network and knowing that mental health is recognised as much as physical health and it as seen with equal importance.