Mental health among healthcare staff in general has long been an issue of concern, although there may be particular problems faced by healthcare workers within different disciplines/areas of healthcare. Research we had conducted with the IDS_TILDA cohort had found that although there was a plan in place for people with intellectual disability to manage self-isolation if they COVID-19 symptoms, many struggled to fully understand these plans or adhere to them.
The current research involved interviews with 13 healthcare workers who were working with people with intellectual disability during the COVID-19 pandemic. We carried out these interviews from November 2020 to January 2021, a hard time in terms of lockdowns and restrictions.
The word panic was often used to describe the initial emotional response to the pandemic. At the same time as working hours increased, there was a sense of isolation within the workplace, with staff less able to interact with each other. One individual taking medication for mental health problems reported they were on their maximum dosage since the pandemic.
The changes in the work environment were a great challenge for many staff, with rules around social distancing difficult to adhere to when many of the people they worked with wanted or needed to have greater physical proximity. Many staff were moved to different locations or shifts, leading to greater unpredictability. (Care provision for people with intellectual disability usually tends to be relatively predictable, with routines making things easier for service users). Excessive workloads and unpredictable work patterns created a vicious circle, with greater levels of staff absence heightening workloads.
On a more positive note, participants acknowledged there were supports available to them, and some were quite willing to talk about how they took up the offer of services such as employee assistance programs. Nonetheless, concerns were voiced that some colleagues would be reluctant to display the anxiety they felt. More informal support from managers and colleagues was also discussed; these can build on the shared knowledge of peers. Many people we interviewed wanted to focus on the future, in terms of how we may not fully understand the impact of the pandemic on mental health until sometime after it had ended. The value of having mental health supports that can be accessed directly and anonymously, without having to go through a liaison person within an organisation, was also highlighted.
Some of these challenges the participants talked about have long been an issue for healthcare workers (e.g. excessively long working hours), but the difficulties faced were worsened by the particular challenges during COVID-19 and the associated lockdowns. It was promising to hear some staff talk about their willingness to seek and accept help; however, as we come out of lockdowns, and as the threat of COVID-19 is gradually falling, the findings sound a warning around the possible effects of future systemic shocks to a care system that already places a lot on the shoulders of healthcare workers.
This work was made possible by funding from Trinity College Dublin COVID fund. It was a great opportunity to work closely with Dr Fintan Sheerin, the Head of School at the School of Nursing & Midwifery, as well as Dr Yaohua Chen, who worked hard to complete this project.
Sheerin, F., Allen, A. P., Fallon, M., McCallion, P., McCarron, M., Mulryan, N., & Chen, Y. (2022). Staff mental health while providing care to people with intellectual disability during the COVID‐19 pandemic. British Journal of Learning Disabilities. doi: 10.1111/bld.12458
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