Redeployment during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for a clinical research workforce

Walker, Kathryn; Gerakios, Florence

doi:10.12968/bjon.2021.30.12.734

Cited by 11 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Our results regarding nurses' response to redeployment are consistent with previous studies among medical doctors [1], clinical research staff [15] and specialist nurses [16,17], who reported increased levels of self-reported stress and anxiety. While this psychological response may have been caused by the fear of contracting COVID-19, other factors need to be considered.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Perceptions and experiences of dialysis nurses regarding redeployment to other dialysis units during the COVID-19 pandemic

Zimbudzi

Fraginal

2022

Preprint

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Introduction Redeployment of healthcare workers is one of the strategies that has been successfully used to manage increased workload and shortage of staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about how best to do this in the pandemic and beyond. Objective Using experiences from a large metropolitan teaching hospital in southeast Melbourne, Australia, this qualitative study sought to understand and describe the experiences and perspectives of dialysis nurses who were redeployed across five hemodialysis units affiliated to this hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method Sixteen interviews were conducted in March 2022 among nurses who had been redeployed to other dialysis units during the COVID-19 pandemic. Maximal variation sampling was used to ensure an even representation with regards to gender, dialysis nursing experience and primary place of work. Discussions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim and inductive thematic analysis was performed. Results Of the participants interviewed, most were females (75%) and at least 50% were aged 36-45 years. A majority of the participants (56%) had less than 5 years of dialysis nursing experience and 70% had been redeployed to other dialysis units on at least five occasions. Five main themes emerged. These were the nurses’ immediate reaction, barriers to redeployment, benefits of redeployment, local and organisational support and opportunities for improvement. Conclusion Redeployment of nurses across different dialysis units is associated with personal and organisational benefits. However, there are a number of barriers that need to be addressed to improve the experience of redeployed nurses.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Perceptions and experiences of dialysis nurses regarding redeployment to other dialysis units during the COVID-19 pandemic

Zimbudzi

Fraginal

2022

Preprint

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“…We are yet to see the full consequences of redeployment but there is an early suggestion of associated negative psychological effects. 18 The GIRFT report highlighted the importance of staff retention, particularly in addressing nursing turnover rates. 10 We identified that the band 5 vacancy rate increased from 13.5% in 2019 to 16.5% in 2021 suggesting a deteriorating position.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mean sickness rate was 8%, compared with 2.6% in 2019, with no clear variation between sectors or regions. We are yet to see the full consequences of redeployment but there is an early suggestion of associated negative psychological effects 18. The GIRFT report highlighted the importance of staff retention, particularly in addressing nursing turnover rates 10.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

National census of UK endoscopy services 2021

Ravindran

Thomas-Gibson

Bano

et al. 2022

Frontline Gastroenterol

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IntroductionThe Joint Advisory Group on Gastrointestinal (GI) Endoscopy (JAG) biennial census provides a unique view of UK endoscopy. The 2021 census was conducted to understand the impact of ongoing pressures, highlighted in the previous census, as well as COVID-19.MethodsThe census was sent to all JAG-registered services in April 2021. Data were analysed across the domains of activity, waiting time targets, workforce, COVID-19, safety, GI bleeding, anaesthetic support, equipment and decontamination. Statistical methods were used to determine associations between domain-specific outcome variables and core demographic data.Results321 services completed the census (79.2% response rate). In the first 3 months of 2021, 57.9% of NHS services met urgent cancer waits, 17.9% met routine waits and 13.4% met surveillance waits. Workforce redeployment was the predominant reason cited for not meeting targets. There were significant regional differences in the proportion of patients waiting 6 or more weeks (p=0.001). During the pandemic, 64.8% of NHS services had staff redeployed and there was a mean sickness rate of 8.5%. Services were, on average, at 79.3% activity compared with 2 years ago. JAG-accredited services are more likely to meet urgent cancer waits, with a lower proportion of patient waiting 6 weeks or more (p=0.03). Over 10% of services stated that equipment shortage interfered with service delivery.ConclusionsServices are adapting to continued pressure and there are signs of a focused response to demand at a time of ongoing uncertainty. This census’ findings will inform ongoing guidance from JAG and relevant stakeholders.

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“…Some participants had limited awareness of what available support services were for and how to access them; related research has found that clear communication was important in determining MHW outcomes amongst redeployed staff surveyed in one Trust (Walker & Gerakios, 2021). Our findings highlight the difficulties of defining ‘clear communication’, with many staff unaware of services that Trust administrative and communications teams presumably believe to be advertised clearly.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences of mental health and wellbeing support for NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: a reflexive thematic analysis

Clarkson

Scott

Hegarty

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Staff in the National Health Service (NHS) have been placed under considerable strain during the COVID-19 pandemic; whilst NHS Trusts provide a variety of health and wellbeing support services, there has been little research investigating staff perceptions of these services. Moreover, the research that does exist typically includes only clinical staff, despite a large proportion of patient-facing NHS workers being in non-clinical roles. We interviewed forty-eight clinical and non-clinical healthcare workers from eighteen NHS Trusts in England about their experiences of workplace health and wellbeing support during the pandemic. Reflexive thematic analysis identified that perceived stigma around help-seeking, and staffing shortages due to wider socio-political contexts such as austerity, were barriers to using support services. Visible, caring leadership at all levels (CEO to line managers), peer support, easily accessible services, and clear communication about support offers were enablers. Our evidence suggests Trusts should have active strategies to improve help-seeking. This could involve providing all staff with regular reminders about support options, in a variety of formats (e.g. email, posters, mentioned in meetings), and easily remembered single points of access, delivered by a mix of in-house and externally-provided services, to cater for those more and less concerned about stigma and confidentiality. In addition, managers at all levels should be trained and supported to feel confident to speak about mental health with staff, with formal peer support facilitated by building in time for this during working hours. As others have pointed out, this will require long-term strategic planning to address workforce shortages.

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Redeployment during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for a clinical research workforce

Cited by 11 publications

References 28 publications

Perceptions and experiences of dialysis nurses regarding redeployment to other dialysis units during the COVID-19 pandemic

Perceptions and experiences of dialysis nurses regarding redeployment to other dialysis units during the COVID-19 pandemic

National census of UK endoscopy services 2021

Experiences of mental health and wellbeing support for NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: a reflexive thematic analysis

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