"We need to do more": Award winning Ayrshire nurse calls on more mental health support for hospital staff
Julie Lamberth was given an award of Merit for her contribution to the RCN. She is now calling on the government to invest in more support for staff across the country.
An award-winning nurse is calling on the Scottish Government to provide better support to nurses across the country during mental health awareness week.
Julie Lamberth, a senior charge nurse in maternity theatres in Ayrshire spoke of the need to provide improved support to their nurses while speaking to Greatest Hits Radio about her new award by the Royal College of Nursing.
She was given the RCN Award of Merit for her outstanding contribution to the work of the Royal College of Nursing.
Over the past few years, Julie has played an integral role in campaigning for pay and safe staffing for nurses and has served as the chair of the RCN Scotland board since 2020.
After receiving the award, Julie says she will continue her work to safeguard nurses’ rights and working conditions and wants to start with looking after their health.
She tells Greatest Hits Radio that she would like to see more investment going towards protecting the mental health of nurses in Scotland, and that could go a long way in trying to make the career choice an appealing option again.
She said: “We can’t underestimate the impact that the covid pandemic and the last few months have had on nursing in our country.
“Yes, there is support out there, but I think there could be more. I think the government really needs to invest more in the wellbeing of their staff, especially for mental health.
“I’d like to see staff with more time on shift to gain that support when they are working, and when they might need it most. Sometimes it can be available, but I think we need more resources for more people to provide that support, so it is more readily available.”
It comes a few days after figures showed that more than 74,000 NHS staf across Scotland missed work as a result of anxiety, stress, depression or other mental illnesses.
The number of sick days accumulated to more than 1.5 million working hours being list in Scotland’s NHS since 2018.
Julie said that most nurses love their job but it can come with a lot of pressure. That’s why improving support for the workforces could help improve recruitment and attractiveness to the role.
She added: “It is one of the most rewarding jobs that you can do, and I love my job to bits.
“Yes, it is very challenging at times, but it is rewarding because we can make that difference for people.
“We need to do more. We need to show that the career is attractive so we can continue appealing to people to join the nursing workforce.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are immensely grateful for the incredible efforts of all of our NHS and Social Care staff as we continue to recover from the pandemic.
“Our health care system continues to be under substantial pressure and we are working with health boards to provide long-term sustainable support.
“The nursing and midwifery taskforce, which met for the first time last month, will also look to explore and develop proposals on a range of initiatives, including staff wellbeing.”