OP1

OP1

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH – MENTAL HEALTH LINK: A SERVICE EVALUATION OF THE OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH REFERRALS TO A SPECIALISED MENTAL HEALTH CLINIC FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS

S. Said¹, M. Kaser¹, A. Colby²

¹Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, UK

²Cambridge University Hospitals Occupational Health, UK

BACKGROUND:

The occupational health (OH) services report a significant increase in mental health presentations. However, treatment provisions to address the mental health needs of health professionals is scarce. The NHS Staff Mental Health Service (SMHS) in Cambridgeshire provides rapid access mental health support to healthcare workers. This service evaluation aimed to assess the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes for staff patients (n=849) referred to SMHS from two university hospitals (Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (CUH) and Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Trust (RPH) that are served by the CUH OH service).

METHODS:

The difference between depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress symptoms before and after treatment were analysed by non-parametric Wilcoxon rank test and the difference in the severity scores pre/post – treatment were analysed using non-parametric Kruskal’s-Wallis H test (CUH OH and Other referrals).

RESULTS:

Treatment at the SMHS led to significant improvements in anxiety (Z=−4.013, p <0.001), depression (Z=-4.564, p < 0.001), and PTSD symptoms (Z=-2.377, p < 0.001) for OH referrals and significant improvements in anxiety (Z=-3.128, p=0.002) and depression (Z=-2.757, p < 0.05) for other referrals.  There was a significant difference in the initial PTSD symptoms score between CUH OH group and Other referrals (X2 = 16.149, p<0.001).

IMPLICATIONS:

There were overall improvements in mental health symptoms for all patients. The staff referred to the SMHS via occupational health had more PTSD symptoms compared to the referrals via other routes. This could signify that patients with more complex needs require occupational health input before accessing mental health services.

References:

1. Scott, H.R., Stevelink, S.A., Gafoor, R., Lamb, D., Carr, E., Bakolis, I., Bhundia, R., Docherty, M.J., Dorrington, S., Gnanapragasam, S. and Hegarty, S., 2023. Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder and common mental disorders in health-care workers in England during the COVID-19 pandemic: a two-phase cross-sectional study. The Lancet Psychiatry, 10(1), pp.40-49.
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