Recovery, Renewal, Resilience

In health systems across the world, screening programmes and non-emergency surgical operations have been postponed and cancelled to reduce transmission and free up capacity to treat Covid-19 patients. The USA, UK and Canada have been working to re-start non-COVID related healthcare since the first wave of COVID-19, with subsequent COVID-19 surges creating further challenges, particularly for those countries who are yet to tackle healthcare waiting lists. Those working to reduce the backlog report that some patients continue to defer seeking care so not to increase pressure on services, or because they fear catching the virus. Continued delays will decrease quality of life, increase treatment costs, and worsen outcomes, as the conditions individuals are suffering from deteriorate. There may also be knock-on effects on social care. Consider the measures explored by the UK, USA and Canada:

• Proactively engage the public (e.g. through local communications) to instill confidence in the safety and continued functioning of healthcare systems and encourage them to seek care if they need it
• Ensure ample PPE is available to prevent unnecessary challenges in the delivery of health and social care
• Inform plans by developing rigorous forecasts of future patient demand and service pressures
• Enhance national and local partnerships developed during the pandemic to address the backlog of people needing care. For example:
  • Begin to increase resource capacity through recruitment now to ensure sufficient capacity is available in the future
  • Extend surgical operating hours, including at weekends
  • Draw on volunteers to support vaccination programmes to enable trained healthcare staff to focus on elective care
  • Pool resources between local hospitals and centralize waiting lists so that patients can be treated wherever there is capacity
  • Make greater use of virtual care to increase outpatient access
  • Pilot alternative health care testing programmes (e.g.home testing kits for HPV)

All areas of peoples' lives have been impacted by COVID-19 in a multitude of different ways. Compassion acknowledges that people may be suffering, and promotes sensitivity about the issues affecting people. Compassion during COVID-19 should acknowledge that while everyone has been impacted, they will have been impacted differently. Recognising these differences will help to build transparency and authenticity within the organisations. Consider how to develop a compassionate organisation through:

• Creating safe spaces where people can air their concerns and views
• Ensure there are processes in place to address legitimate concerns and views
• Regularly check-in with those within the organisation to actively enquire about their wellbeing - reducing the expectation and pressure on people to self-mobilise support mechanisms
• Anticipate needs e.g. be aware of pressures, deadlines and potential for burnout
• Believe people when they say they are struggling and trust that they are doing their best
• Consider being transparent about your own struggles, but be aware of establishing boundaries
• Note that compassion does not lower expectations within the organisation or undermine people's roles and responsibilities. Rather, it creates a healthier organisational environment that can reduce anxiety, fear and shame

The Mental Health Commission of Canada has developed three programmes: Caring for Yourself/Caring for your Team, and Caring for Others:

• Caring for Yourself/Caring for your Team - Participants learn how to better understand their own mental wellness, and that of their team. They learn to notice if they might be moving into unwell areas, use practical actions to help with stress, and know when to reach out to get professional help, and learn tips to support team members
• Caring for Others - Participants focus on how to create a safe space to have conversations about mental health and/or substance use problems, and the skills required to respond to a mental health crisis until professional help arrives. This prepares participants to have conversations confidently about mental health during a crisis, with their family, friends, communities, and in their workplaces