NHS staff experiences of within-service psychology support for trauma
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding NHS staff experiences of using within-service psychology support for trauma.
IRAS ID
332288
Contact name
Beverley Dayus
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 30 days
Research summary
This study aims to understand how National Health Service (NHS) staff experience the access to and support from within-service psychology support for trauma, and how individuals perceive this may or may not have helped in processing their trauma. Two research questions are proposed: ‘How do NHS staff understand their experiences of trauma?’, and ‘How do NHS staff experience within-service psychology support for their trauma?’ This will include an understanding of how participants experienced accessing support and any benefits or limitations they identify.
This research design will be qualitative, using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as a framework, and in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Eligible participants will be NHS healthcare staff who have received psychological support, accessed through work, for trauma.
The research will involve participants engaging in 60–90-minute semi-structured interviews. Participants will be recruited via NHS Staff Support Services. Participants will be given an option of dates and times for interviews. Interviews will be conducted virtually, via Microsoft Teams, unless a participant requires face-to-face interviews, in which case rooms will be booked in a convenient NHS location to the participant. Interviews will be recorded via video on Teams or Dictaphone if in-person. Transcripts of the interviews will then be analysed using IPA.
Potential benefits of the research include adding to the body of literature on the use and experience of NHS staff support, as well as in-depth and experiential accounts of how NHS staff support services could or need to adapt, or existing benefits that can be consolidated. The research is seen as particularly important during a time of increasing pressure on the NHS and accounts of poor mental health experiences of NHS staff. This is considered particularly pressing due to funding being removed for targeted NHS staff support services, such as the NHS Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/SC/0120
Date of REC Opinion
29 Apr 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion