PurposeThe health and well-being of healthcare staff came into focus during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as already strained workforces responded to new and additional challenges. Organisational support services made efforts to adapt staff support provision. However, most literature and recommendations are centred on surveys of medical and clinical staff. The present study included staff across clinical and non-clinical workforces within a mental health trust over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic to date, and aimed to understand workforces' access to and experiences of organisational support.Design/methodology/approachThe current study was a qualitative one using convenience and purposive sampling. Semi-structured individual and group interviews were conducted using a topic guide. Reflexive thematic analysis was used in a phenomenological framework to analyse data.Findings35 staff, broadly representative of the trust workforce, were recruited. Six global themes summarised the experiences of staff in relation to work practices, personal well-being and support access over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: COVID-19 disease, interpersonal relationships, individual considerations, change, working environment and support.Practical implicationsThe findings from the study have implications for organisational support provisions for healthcare workers and the dissemination of these services.Originality/valueAcknowledging the multi-various experiences of different workforces within National Healthcare Service organisations and how these change over time will facilitate innovative changes to staff support provision.

Drawing on the traditions of discursive psychology and critical discourse analysis this study examined the presentation of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in women in a sample of the most commonly identified online YouTube videos on this topic. The video material selected represented a combination of first-person testimonies from the "sufferer" and the sharing of "expertise" by "professionals." Analysis involved the identification of common rhetorical devices and evaluation of the role of these devices in conveying various key meanings or themes. The categories generated by this method told a story of the construction of an "ADHD product" presented to women by other women, and unproblematically positioned within the biomedical discourse. Stimulant medication was endorsed for its ability to improve performance A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t 2 at work and in the domestic sphere. Women sufferers in the videos appear as "active consumers" promoting the ADHD diagnosis for its ability to enable them to fulfil the "superwoman" ideal.The medicalisation of underperformance witnessed in the videos is discussed in relation to literature on modern-day "discourses of femininity."

All employers of non-medical prescribers (NMPs) have a duty to ensure they remain competent and current, and have access to relevant continuing professional development as identified through their staff appraisals. This article describes a survey that was undertaken to evaluate non-medical prescribing in one trust that operates an acute district hospital and community services. Five themes emerged from the results: prescribing activity, patient safety, effect of non-medical prescribing on care, workforce planning and organisational support. The findings also suggested that most NMPs surveyed were compliant with local and national policy. Non-compliance was addressed through line manager intervention. Support for NMPs must be addressed at organisational level to ensure safety of all stakeholders.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the impact work can have on healthcare workers and the importance of staff support services. Rapid guidance was published to encourage preventive and responsive support for healthcare workers. Aims To understand mental healthcare staff's help-seeking behaviours and access to support at work in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to inform iterative improvements to provision of staff support. Method We conducted a formative appraisal of access to support and support needs of staff in a National Health Service mental health trust. This involved 11 semi-structured individual interviews using a topic guide. Five virtual staff forums were additional sources of data. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify key themes. Results Peer-based, within-team support was highly valued and sought after. However, access to support was negatively affected by work pressures, physical distancing and perceived cultural barriers. Conclusions Healthcare organisations need to help colleagues to support each other by facilitating open, diverse workplace cultures and providing easily accessible, safe and reflective spaces. Future research should evaluate support in the evolving work contexts imposed by COVID-19 to inform interventions that account for differences across healthcare workforces.