There are more than 40,000 Filipinos working in the United Kingdom, most of them healthcare workers. These nurses are known for their resilience, compassion, and excellent work ethics among others. In the most dire circumstances where resources prove scarce, they don’t just raise their arms and give up. At the peak of the covid pandemic, there have been stories where Filipino nurses fill gloves with warm water, tie it up, and place it in the hands of patients on end-of-life care so they can feel like they were being held at their last moments because their families are not around due to strict hospital regulations.
In rural hospitals back in the Philippines, they try to help patients who can’t afford supplies in every little way they can like carefully cutting a saline bottle to create makeshift urinal, or improvising IV dressings using plaster and gauze. They can innovate, cut corners, while still trying to deliver safe, efficient nursing care.
Filipino nurses seem to be battle-hardened in the healthcare setting. Everything changed when covid pandemic started. No amount of resilience could prepare them for what was about to happen. Colleagues perished and the pandemic started to have significant physical, mental and psychological impact on nurses. It has never been more important for all Filipino NHS nurses to take time to look after their own health and wellbeing.
Listed below are some of the services available for overseas Filipino nurses based in United Kingdom seeking advice in times of need:
Royal College of Nursing Helpline
By joining the RCN, nurses can get free, confidential help and advice on a range of issues that affect you at home and at work. They can offer counselling on issues such as stress, depression or relationship breakdown. RCN members already in the UK can get free, confidential support and assistance on immigration issues. This will prove beneficial for filipino healthcare workers under Tier 2 or Skilled Worker Visa.
Employee Assistance Program
An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is a free, confidential helpline that provides health and wellbeing support for staff and their families.
The EAP counsellors offer a range of support and advice for both personal and workplace issues.
Personalised Helpline For Filipino NHS Staff Launched by NHS England
Helpline: 0300 303 1115, open 7am-11pm
During the second quarter of 2020, Covid pandemic unleashed a terror beyond imagination. Not only it took many lives, but it also cast a dark shadow on those people left behind. Many Filipino nurses have always been working on the front lines. This has likely contributed to the disproportionately high number of Filipino NHS nurses who have died from COVID. NHS England launched a dedicated NHS bereavement and trauma telephone support line for Filipino staff impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Tagalog-speaking specialist counsellors and support workers have been set up to discuss anxiety or emotional issues experienced as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Self-help apps
Not everyone are comfortable sharing personal feelings over the phone even if it is confidential. The good news is there are lots of available self-help apps to help you manage your own health and well-being while looking after others.
What apps to download when carers need caring:
*Headspace App- offers mindful meditations so you can sleep well and stress less.
*UnMind App – offers bitesize, self-guided tools designed by psychologists and field experts to improve your mental health.
*BetterHelp App- a convenient way to get professional help where you can match with an available therapist who best fits your needs.
*StayAlive app- is a suicide prevention resource for the UK, packed full of useful information and tools to help you stay safe in crisis.
*Calm- Sleep, Meditate, Relax- This app is perfect for night shift nurses who have difficulty falling asleep during daytime. You can sleep with calming music, sleep sounds and full soundscapes. It also introduces mindfulness and breathing exercises into your daily routine.
It is said that people can’t pour from an empty cup. A well rested health worker with sound mind can provide better quality care to patients. Improving access of overseas nurses in the United Kingdom to available mental health services is paramount to maintain the quality of service they have always been providing.
“Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.”— Carol Burnett