Summary
Support is available to people working in primary care who may find this time of year a struggle.
This includes, mental health support, financial advice and guidance, and training opportunities.
Winter can be a challenging time for the primary care workforce and there is a range of resources available that can provide support should you need it.
Firstly, your workplace may have provision in place such as an Employee Assistance Programme, a wellbeing champion or onsite support.
Alternatively, you may prefer to access some of the help on offer from the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership, which is open to primary care colleagues. This handy poster also has a comprehensive list collated by the Greater Manchester Primary Care Provider Board.
The Greater Manchester Wellbeing Toolkit has a range of advice and support all in one place.
There’s also specific mental health support for nurses, midwives and health care support workers through Shiny Mind.
If you are struggling to cope with everyday life, feeling more emotional or may not be enjoying the things you usually find joy in or are not feeling yourself, you can speak with the Samaritans team. Call 116 123, any time day or night for a one-to-one conversation, or you can find support online. You can also ring if you are worried about someone else, or concerned that there may be a danger to life.
If you’re concerned about a young person, then Kooth provides safe and anonymous online mental wellbeing support and links. There’s also self harm advice for parents and young people from the Shining a Light on Suicide team.
In addition, Qwell, provided by Kooth Digital Health is a safe and anonymous digital mental health service which can be accessed directly without referrals. This is for anyone aged over 26.
For those feeling the pinch financially, there is plenty of support available too:
- Discounts via Blue Light Card and Health Service Discounts
- You can join the Metro Moneywise financial co-operative directly through a new common bond set up as Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership
- Money Advice Referral Tool (MART) from GM Poverty Action provides locality specific support across Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan
Finally, a couple of mental health support Apps have extended their free access to NHS staff: Headspace extended to 31 March 2024 and Unmind extended to 31 December 2023.
Training opportunities:
- Tuesday, 16 January 2024 – Relaunched GM Good Conversation Guide
- Wednesday, 17 January 2024 – How to be LGBTQ+ Effective – Top 10 Tips
- Various February dates – Having safe and effective wellbeing conversations
- From January – Train the Trainer: Wellbeing Conversations
