'Epidemic of anxiety' among Dorset healthcare professionals
There's concern the pandemic's left frontline staff working with vulnerable families anxious and exhausted
Some Dorset professionals working with vulnerable families during the pandemic have been left exhausted, many still feeling anxious and a few ‘broken’ by the experience.
But despite the challenges social workers, health professionals, teachers, the police and others have maintained most services, including home visits.
The claims were made during a meeting of the Dorset people and health scrutiny committee on Monday.
The meeting was told it was expected further social problems would continue to emerge, continuing to put pressure on staff.
Chairman of the pan-Dorset Safeguarding Children Partnership Anthony Douglas said many in the workforce had been left suffering from anxiety and some may have lost confidence in themselves.
“It across the board for front-line staff…lots are incredibly resilient but I would say the experience has broken some people who were previously incredibly resilient and therefore the emphasis on staff health and wellbeing has to be more prominent now than when the pandemic started, it has always been important but it’s a bit like harm in families, it’s invisible; not may professionals formally say, or raise concerns, about their own mental health…it’s very difficult to admit you are not coping and yet several are not even though they are still working full time and doing their best. My worry is that a number of people I have spoken to feel anxious nearly all the time. I would say its an epidemic of anxiety.”
He said it was partially as a result of the pandemic that people receiving services would often say that staff they dealt with now appeared less confident.
“A lot of professionals feel that way, although they have done very well,” said Mr Douglas, predicting that health and wellbeing concerns would rise as referrals for services continued to increase.
Speaking about domestic abuse he said that some young parents may have not seen a professional in the home for six months – losing an opportunity for problems to be picked up.
The council’s domestic abuse champion, Cllr Molly Rennie, said many believe that many incidents of domestic abuse have gone un-reported because of the pandemic, in some cases because there have been fewer home visits, and that children who may have witnessed problems in the home will be affected later by what they may have seen and heard.
She called for greater recognition of the problem in the year ahead, echoing previous warnings that more cases of domestic abuse were likely to become known as society returned to a new ‘normal.’