Supporting ambulance staff through the good times and bad of mental health

Bosses at the region’s ambulance service have thanked colleagues for getting behind a massive programme to support staff and tackle the stigma surrounding mental health.

Bosses at the region’s ambulance service have thanked colleagues for getting behind a massive programme to support staff and tackle the stigma surrounding mental health.

Ahead of next month’s anniversary of signing the MIND Blue Light Time to Change Pledge, the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) says nearly 170 people are now practitioners in the trauma risk management (TRiM) process.

Peer-delivered, this provides support to colleagues who have suffered traumatic stress at work. The team behind TRiM are a group of specially trained practitioners who base their support on the principles of education, support and mentoring. The practitioners will listen to colleagues’ experiences and offer practical advice and support, signpost them to appropriate resources, and assist them in returning to work.

And now it has a team of 165 TRiM practitioners thanks to a drive to increase training, with a recent recruit including Director of Service Delivery, Kevin Brown.

The Trust’s Health and Wellbeing Manager Debra Winterson added: “We are passionate about looking after our staff, and along with TRiM, are currently working on a wide variety of projects that will gradually form a wide-ranging service.”

The MIND Blue Light Time to Change Pledge encourages organisations to publicly commit to a series of actions to tackle the stigma and discrimination around mental health. You can read more about the EEAST commitment here.