NSFT and Suffolk Mind NHS Staff Support Line closes

The NHS Staff Support Line, run by Suffolk Mind for NSFT (Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust), comes to an end at 4.30pm on 31 March 2023. The contract wasn’t renewed – however, there is still plenty of support available through Suffolk Mind’s website and other services.

Pressures on NSFT NHS staff, already high, rose during the Covid-19 pandemic often negatively affecting mental wellbeing. In response to this, the support line was requested by Diane Palmer, Associate Director of Nursing at NSFT, in mid-December 2020.

Suffolk Mind rose to the challenge and the NHS Staff Support Line Service, with our experienced Suffolk Mind call handlers, went live in January 2021 (despite the Christmas period intervening).

By mid-2021 the service had been so successful, working in partnership with a dedicated team of NSFT colleagues, that it was shortlisted for two separate National awards in the Healthcare/Mental Health arena. To be recognised after such a short period was reward in itself.

Our call handlers responded to over 1,100 calls, many lasting over an hour. 271 NHS staff members were referred to the dedicated NSFT Staff Support Team for clinical intervention and 225 were referred to other mental wellbeing services.

The team at Suffolk Mind are proud of what they achieved in this service, as well as the strong professional relationships they have forged with the NSFT Staff Therapy Service as a result of their liaison.

Fiona Samson, Service Manager of the Staff Support Service at NSFT said: ‘We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for all your hard work offering the support line for the Covid-19 Staff Support Service. Suffolk Mind and the team have been fantastic to work with, offering first-class care to the staff members calling for support. The team have been professional at all times and have adapted to the needs of the service as required.

‘The collaboration has been a great experience and this is testament to you and the team members involved.’

For staff seeking support, please take a look at our other services, our Resources hub for helpful articles, or our Help Directory for other support options.