Health and Wellbeing
Key contacts of staff support and wellbeing
if you, a patient or member of your team need immediate support please call the Samaritans helpline below:
- It is freely available 24/7 to support anybody in crisis.
- 116 123
If you need someone to talk to, the NHS have introduced a confidential text support service, you can access support by texting FRONTLINE to 85258 for support 24/7.
This service is available to all our NHS colleagues who have had a tough day, who are feeling worried or overwhelmed, or who have a lot on their mind and need to talk it through.
Alongside the text line, we also have a range of additional support offers in place for our NHS colleagues which suit a range of different health and wellbeing needs. Scroll through the options below to find the one that works best for you.
Greater Manchester Resilience Hub
ICS/STP Area: Greater Manchester
Email: GM.help@nhs.net
Phone: 0333 009 5071, available Monday to Thursday: 9am to 5pm, Friday: 9am to 1pm
Website: www.penninecare.nhs.uk/mcrhub
Looking after you too – coaching about you and your wellbeing
This coaching focuses on you and your wellbeing, and you can talk about things like:
- the pressures and challenges you are facing
- how you are thinking and feeling
- coping with the demands of your role.
The coaching is designed to support you to develop practical strategies to cope with your situation and stay well.
Find out more about this coaching offer and book a session.
There is also a service available specifically for ethnic minority colleagues to talk to coaches from similar backgrounds.
Bereavement support line
- A confidential bereavement support line, operated by Hospice UK and free to access from 8:00am – 8:00pm, seven days a week.
- A team of fully qualified and trained bereavement specialists are available to support you with bereavement and wellbeing issues relating to loss experienced through your work.
- Please call 0300 303 4434 to speak to a trained specialist.
GMLPC Staff Take Part in Mental Health First Aid Training
In order to support contractors, our staff have recently taken part in Mental Health First Aid Training
Why Mental Health Training?
Feedback gathered over the past few years in particular has pointed to a significant increase in the pressures faced by contractors and the detrimental impact that this is having on the mental health and wellbeing of your staff.
The decision was made for Office team to undergo this training in order to ensure we are equipped to help you face difficult and challenging situations.
About the course?
The course took place over two days and was delivered by two trainers from by JB Training Partners. As part of this training we took part in open discussions with the trainers who shared their own lived experience in relation to dealing with mental health issues.
We also learnt how to practically apply ALGEE (Assess, Listen, Give support, Encourage professional help, Encourage other methods of self-help) to real life situations which we may be faced with.
What did we enjoy the most?
As a team, we came away with a number of highlights. This included learning about the stress container and how this can be used to identify causes of stress and reduce them. We also learnt about the potential damage that can be caused by our choice of language in certain situations and how alternative phrases can be of more benefit in these difficult conversations around mental health. Taking part in the training as a team was enjoyable and added an additional dimension to the learning experience.
Why we would recommend it?
We would recommend all contractors to each have one person within their pharmacy team who has taken part in Mental Health First Aid Training. This would mean that if any staff member is struggling with their mental health for any reason, they would immediately have somebody on hand that is qualified to support them.
We are here to help
As always, we are here to help our contractors and pharmacy teams. If you are struggling with your mental health and would like someone to talk to, please get in touch. Our staff are all happy to help and are now qualified in Mental Health First Aid.
Health and Wellbeing offers – Download and display in your pharmacy
To support the Health and Wellbeing of our Pharmacy Teams, we have worked with the Primary Care Board to provide a range of offers and support for our staff including helplines, advice/guidance, training offers and much more.
We have developed a one page infographic that summarises all the key offers that you can print or share with all your Pharmacy teams and locums
Looking After You Too – Coaching Support for Primary Care Staff
Recognising that frontline primary care staff are facing unprecedented challenges through Covid-19, a programme offering individual coaching support was launched on 24 April.
The aim is that this service will support psychological wellbeing and resilience among staff and provide them with opportunities to process experiences, develop coping skills, deal with difficult conversations and develop strategies for self-management in difficult circumstances, so that they can continue to deliver high quality care to patients.
Feedback to dates shows the offer helps colleagues to feel:
• supported to continue through the Covid-19 crisis ensuring their wellbeing and resilience is supported, limiting absenteeism and burnout
• listened to
• able to move on
Services are available 7 days a week, either by phone or video chat.
For further information please click here.
You can book sessions online at https://people.nhs.uk/lookingafteryoutoo
Other NHS Mental Health and Wellbeing Support Resources
NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I), as part of their #LookingAfterYouToo and #LookingAfterYourTeam initiatives, are offering NHS primary care leaders and teams confidential coaching to build wellbeing resilience and positive team cultures. PSNC has confirmed with NHSE&I that this offer applies to LPCs teams as part of the wider NHS family.
Resources for Contractors
NHSE&I has made significant free wellbeing resources available to contractors and their teams, and, as employers, contractors may also have additional arrangements on top of these via employee assistance programmes.
The NHSE&I support includes a range of options to support staff health and wellbeing, including:
- Support now – access to helplines, a text line and various wellbeing apps.
- Support offers – access wellbeing support such as counselling and coaching, and support with bereavement, substance misuse, gambling and financial wellbeing.
- Support for all leaders – access coaching, mentoring and leadership support circles.
Support for executive leaders – access 1:1 psychological support, mentoring, chief executive common rooms, and other leaders’ stories.
Primary Care Excellence Health and Wellbeing
This health and wellbeing scheme has been developed for all primary care staff in Greater Manchester. The programme will be known as Primary Care Excellence.
Now live at www.primarycareexcellence.org.uk, the website has been designed as a Health and Wellbeing Hub for primary care, a single place you can visit to find all the information, resources and tools you need to manage your wellbeing. Have a look at the Wellbeing Resources section for links including to the Greater Manchester Wellbeing Toolkit and the Greater Manchester Resilience Hub. These two topics also form the basis of the first two Health and Wellbeing Podcasts. The Health and Wellbeing Podcast series for Primary Care in Greater Manchester has been relaunched with a new episode – click here to listen An Introduction to Understanding Trauma
Health and Wellbeing Apps – all Greater Manchester Primary Care staff can now access free health and wellbeing apps at primarycareexcellence.orcha.co.uk Every app in the library has been quality assessed against 350+ criteria, and cover areas including physical, mental, emotional, social and practical wellbeing.
GM Wellbeing Toolkit
The Greater Manchester Wellbeing Toolkit has been created for colleagues in health and care, included the NHS and social care, as well as those in the voluntary sector, those delivering health and care services in the private sector and our unwaged workforce too.
Developed by the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership (GMHSCP), this interactive online toolkit brings together all the great wellbeing initiatives and resources that are available in Greater Manchester in one place. It provides support on keeping well physically, practically and psychologically, as well top tips on how you can support those around you and seek help for yourself or someone you know when it’s needed.
You can digest the whole toolkit at once or skip to the sections that are relevant to you. 
Download the toolkit here.
Introductory Workshops to GM Wellbeing Toolkit
You can also join an introductory workshop to get an insight to the GM Wellbeing toolkit, with practical tools and tips on how to Looking After Yourself and Your Team.
Find next available dates here.
Please direct any queries or feedback to gm.workforce@nhs.net
Health and Wellbeing Programme update – February 2023
The Greater Manchester Primary Care Provided Board have published an update regarding the support available to pharmacy teams as part of the Health and Wellbeing Programme.
As part of the offer this month there are a range of workshops, podcasts, apps, online support and resources to help with mental health, mindfulness, navigating uncertainty, dealing with trauma and burnout.
Click here to read the full update
New Health and Wellbeing Pack for Wellbeing Apps
A new Health and Wellbeing Pack has been added to our Digital App Finder on the Greater Manchester Primary Care Provider Board website – gmpcb.org.uk
This Health and Wellbeing Foundation Pack is a selection of digital health products that offer to help support the primary care workforce with common health challenges. These digital health products have been selected because they are:
- low risk
- simple and easy to use
- tested and reviewed
Health and Wellbeing Champion training available
As part of this initiative, Primary care staff can access this champion training. For more information please see the updated flyer.
Update! Click here to register your interest in this training
Please share all of this information with your teams. If you would like further updates and information email: primarycare.excellence@nhs.net
Handling Difficult Situations – Caring for Yourself and Others with Compassion
NHS England have extended their national training programme ‘Handling difficult situations – Caring for yourself and others with compassion’. The training course is FREE and is open to those working across primary care in both clinical and non clinical roles. The sessions will run daily from 5th September and will be held virtually using MS Teams, and will take 3 hours.
The training aims to teach colleagues the skills and techniques to handle difficult situations with compassion, including using appropriate communication techniques and active listening skills, whilst focusing on how to keep yourself safe and seek support if you feel affected by a situation. To find out more and to book a place please follow the link below:
Handling difficult situations training – info & booking link.
If you have any further questions about the programme please get in touch with colleagues at the National team via their mailbox ournhspeople.hwb@nhs.net
Active Workplaces
Physical activity can help reduce stress in almost any situation – including in the workplace. There are already initiatives taking place across primary care disciplines in Greater Manchester including Team Step Challenges and Lunch Walks – if you have activities and photos that the Health and Wellbeing Programme can share to inspire others, please send to primarycare.excellence@nhs.net.
There’s lots of support currently available for initiatives that can be taken forward by any member of the team:
| GM Active Workplace Toolkit
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Full of ideas and stories including That Counts! |
| NHS Active 10 for Android
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NHS Active 10 (free) – Tracks activity and provides some prompts even when the app is not open |
| RCGP Active Practice Charter
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For staff and patients, benefits shown in staff morale, patient health and engagement |
Here is a summary of Wellbeing Support links from colleagues at the regional NHS team:
Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership has commissioned instant access digital mental health support across Greater Manchester for everyone aged 10+. These services provide free, safe and anonymous online mental health support whenever you need it. There are no waiting lists for support and no referral needed. Access to these platforms is available instantly 24/7.
Go to Kooth.com (10-25) or Qwell.io (26+) to get started today.
Support available includes:
- Live chat or messaging with qualified mental health professionals (Monday to Friday: 12pm – 10pm + Saturday and Sunday 6pm – 10pm)
- Self help tools and activities
- Online community
You can download a range of images to use on the Kooth Promotion Central website
Resources:
Digital Mental Health Offer within Greater Manchester
Kooth and Qwell Guide For Healthcare Professionals
Living Life To The Full Enjoy Your Baby programme
Living Life To The Full programme
Living Life To The Full Reclaim Your Life programme
10 things to do to feel happier straight away
We are firmly in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, and in some way or other it is impacting on all of us. Bills and food are our biggest household expense, on average families spend over £3,300 on food each year. With that in mind we have gathered some top tips to help you:
» Make your own food for better health and pocket. Check out Cooking On A Bootstrap from Jack Munroe for ideas.
» Be aware of your food waste – do you know the difference between Best Before, Sell By, Display Until, or Use By dates? With more than a 1/3 of food wasted, have a look at the Too Good To Go campaign for more insights.
» If you need to find a foodbank, then the Trussell Trust can help.
Useful reading and links for better Financial Wellbeing:
» BLOG: Understanding why we get stressed & what we can do about it, Team Boo
» Evidence Review: Financial Wellbeing, CIPD
» Money & Mental Health Institute, Martin Lewis
» Cost of Living Survival Guide, Money Saving Expert
Contact the Money Helper service for free and impartial money advice by telephone on 0800 448 0826 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm)
WhatsApp +44 7701 342 744
Webchat to one of the MoneyHelper Service team via their online portal
Money Helper also provides free impartial advice about:
- Budget Planner Tool
- Debt Advice Locator Tool
- Debt and borrowing
- Couch to Financial Fitness
- Benefits
- Budgeting and managing your money
- Work and redundancy
- Family and care
Financial Wellbeing is a huge topic of discussion at the moment, so a reminder to look at the Financial Wellbeing, Update – this includes the Energy Bills and Energy Efficiency guide – and we are updating the info as it changes and will circulate regularly.
- The Money Helper service for free and impartial money advice by telephone on 0800 448 0826 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm) or via WhatsApp (+44 7701 342 744) MoneyHelper also provides free impartial advice about:
- dealing with debt and loans,
- helping with your Financial Fitness, and
- resources to support budgeting and savings.
- Debt Advice Locator Tool to find the right support services for you.
- help with big life decisions about money with the family and care easy-to-understand guides to help you.
- The Money Saving Expert team with Martin Lewis has just released a great cash discounts guide for health and care workers – a great resource to share in the run up to the festive period.
- You can also access financial and debt support through your Employee Assistance Programme where available, and find out more: Financial Wellbeing, NHS England
- The Healthcare Workers Foundation can provide financial support, counselling, and provision for bereaved health and care families. Open to all health and care colleagues, this includes emergency grants for hardship support, as well as specific costs, providing £250 to £1,000 to healthcare workers who are struggling with their finances.
- The Care Workers’ Charity offers grants and support to care workers.
- And speak with your trade union to check what kind of financial support is available for members with everyday living costs. This includes UNISON’s There For You campaign, or the Royal College of Nursing.
Get Me There – better travel with Transport for Greater Manchester
We are having conversations with TfGM about travel benefits and options on the trams – with buses to follow early next year. The Get Me There campaign helps you find the most effective way to travel across Greater Manchester on our public transport:
- Save money with the Clipper – 10 travel passes for the price of 9! The Clipper is designed for flexible workers, part-time workers or anyone who travels regularly but not every day. You can choose Anytime (peak) or off-peak travelcards, for the zones you need.
- Enjoy exploring GM with the Metrolink Weekend Travelcard – unlimited travel across GM from 6pm on Friday until the last tram on Sunday night. Have a look at the tram map for some inspiration!
- You may also want to consider the network of Tram Park and Ride sites across GM – if you are travelling from outside GM, this may help reduce travel time and traffic on the roads, having a positive impact on the environment and the purse / wallet!
New exciting announcement releases of Connect5 Mental Wellbeing Autumn dates now available! Open to anyone across Greater Manchester who is interested in changing the way they have mental wellbeing conversations, this FREE training course promises to:
- Help you better understand how to improve your own mental wellbeing and that of others
- Increase your skills and confidence to have everyday conversations about mental wellbeing
- Increase your knowledge in signposting to available support
There will be three, one-off online training events. While participants do not need to attend all three modules, best outcomes have been reported from those who have attended all three in sequence. Interested or know someone who may be interested? You can access the following to register: Connect 5 – Mental Health & Wellbeing Training | Eventbrite
A resource page to support primary care implementation of mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirements for staff is now live on the Primary Care Excellence website containing links to the main NHS England and NHS Improvement guidance, along with links to guidance and support from national professional bodies. This information is intended to support any individuals still considering whether or not to have the vaccine – and for line managers who will be having what may be difficult conversations with some of their teams. There’s also a FAQ section on the page, which will continue to be updated as new resources and guidance are published.
GM Families. One of the objectives of the programme is ‘GM Families’, the development of support networks providing safe spaces for shared conversations about health and wellbeing. We’re particularly interested in making contact with receptionists and admin support staff who would be interested in working with us to discuss your current health and wellbeing needs, so please share with colleagues in these roles and get in touch via the email address below to get involved and share your ideas and suggestions.
Please share this information with your teams and send any feedback or questions to: primarycare.excellence@nhs.net
NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I), as part of their #LookingAfterYouToo and #LookingAfterYourTeam initiatives, are offering NHS primary care leaders and teams confidential coaching to build wellbeing resilience and positive team cultures. PSNC has confirmed with NHSE&I that this offer applies to LPCs teams as part of the wider NHS family.
Resources for Contractors
NHSE&I has made significant free wellbeing resources available to contractors and their teams, and, as employers, contractors may also have additional arrangements on top of these via employee assistance programmes.
The NHSE&I support includes a range of options to support staff health and wellbeing, including:
- Support now – access to helplines, a text line and various wellbeing apps.
- Support offers – access wellbeing support such as counselling and coaching, and support with bereavement, substance misuse, gambling and financial wellbeing.
- Support for all leaders – access coaching, mentoring and leadership support circles.
- Support for executive leaders – access 1:1 psychological support, mentoring, chief executive common rooms, and other leaders’ stories.
Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership (GMHSCP) Mental Health Toolkit for Employers
‘The Greater Manchester Mental Health Toolkit for Employers’ highlights the important relationship between staff wellbeing and work performance, and includes step-by-step guides to help understand how to support and develop a mentally healthy workforce and environment.
Access the toolkit here
Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership (GMHSCP) Wellbeing Toolkit for the Healthcare Workforce
The Greater Manchester Wellbeing Toolkit has been created for colleagues in health and care, included the NHS and social care, as well as those in the voluntary sector, those delivering health and care services in the private sector and our unwaged workforce too.
Developed by the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership (GMHSCP), this interactive online toolkit brings together all the great wellbeing initiatives and resources that are available in Greater Manchester in one place. It provides support on keeping well physically, practically and psychologically, as well top tips on how you can support those around you and seek help for yourself or someone you know when it’s needed.
You can digest the whole toolkit at once or skip to the sections that are relevant to you.
Download the toolkit here.
Staff respect assets – now including Primary Care resources
Staff respect assets have been updated and now include all four primary care contractor groups.
Assets are available to download here: https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/resources/campaigns/132-nhs-staff-respect/resources
Further Health and Wellbeing resources
| Resource | Link |
| Pharmacist Support | https://pharmacistsupport.org/ |
| Greater Manchester Wellbeing Toolkit | https://gmprimarycarecareers.org.uk/greater-manchester-wellbeing-toolkit/ |
| Health and Wellbeing Champion – E-learning Programme | https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/health-and-wellbeing-champions/ |
| Greater Manchester Resilience Hub | https://www.penninecare.nhs.uk/mcrhub-covid19 |
| Primary Care Excellence | https://primarycareexcellence.org.uk/ |
| Health and Wellbeing Podcast | https://primarycareexcellence.org.uk/health-wellbeing/health-wellbeing-podcast/ |
| Health and Wellbeing Apps Library | https://primarycareexcellence.orcha.co.uk/ |
| GMLPC Health and Wellbeing Hub | https://greatermanchester.communitypharmacy.org.uk/resources/mental-health-and-wellbeing-support/
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