Covid could scupper female opportunity in NHS, warns senior trust chief

Sussex Partnership Trust chief executive Sam Allen’s warning follows a major survey laying bare the extent of the emotional and physical toll coronavirus has taken on the NHS’ female workforce.

Ms Allen, who also chairs the Health and Care Women Leaders Network, told HSJ women had been impacted “significantly” by covid-19 and that “the [black, Asian and minority ethnic] population has been hit the hardest”.

The network has also set out concerns that covid-19 could set the NHS back further in creating an environment where women can progress to more senior roles.

The NHS Confederation’s Health and Care Women Leaders Network survey was completed by over 1,300 women working in the NHS.

The survey, carried out two months after the covid peak in June, found almost three quarters of respondents reported their job had a negative impact on their mental health and more than half suffered a negative impact on their physical health.

Respondents said family pressures also contributed to the emotional toll, with one respondent describing managing a full-time job in the NHS, supporting family in the UK and abroad and home-schooling as “financially difficult and emotionally draining”.

It also set out the challenges faced by the workforce in managing a work/life balance. Since the start of lockdown respondents reported they took an average of 11.22 additional hours a week of non-work caring responsibilities, but only reduced their working hours to cope with this by 1.44 hours a week.

Ms Allen said the NHS would need to continue to support staff through the aftermath of the pandemic for “months and years ahead”, as staff are being asked to work “very hard” during phase three to “get the NHS back up and running”.

“Now isn’t the time to pack away that support,” Ms Allen said. “We need to be redoubling efforts.”

“One of the things that preoccupies my mind is we do everything to support the psychological wellbeing of our staff,” she added.

The survey also highlighted the disparities in experience between staff from BAME backgrounds and white staff, which included increased levels of stress and anxiety caused by the virus and its impact on BME communities.

However, survey respondents mostly identified as white. Further research is, however, being carried out by the BME Leadership Network.

Just over half of the survey respondents agreed they felt able to share personal concerns or needs with their line manager during the pandemic, but BAME staff felt less safe sharing concerns with managers than white respondents.

In response to its findings, the network made a series of recommendations for employers. They included NHS England/Improvement ensuring the continuation of all wellbeing support, managers paying particular attention to female staff with children and managers being particularly mindful that BME staff and those with adult dependants might find it more difficult to share concerns.