Supporting mental health needs in the nursing workforce

Introduction

Mental health issues can significantly impact people’s ability to perform while at work. Nurses are particularly at risk of experiencing mental health issues given the stressful nature of their jobs. A study by Babapour et al (2022) found that nursing was a particularly stressful role given the high expectations, complex job demands, high levels of responsibility and minimal authority.

A survey conducted by the Nursing Times found that, of nearly 1000 nurse respondents, 40% felt their mental health was ‘worse’ or ‘much worse’ now than in 2020 or 2021 (Ford, 2023). Respondents characterised their colleagues’ morale as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’, and around 61% said that their mental health had worsened since the beginning of the pandemic, with 20% reporting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Royal College of Nursing also offers mental wellbeing support on their website. The Royal College of Nursing offers counselling, links to self-help and