“The wellbeing of healthcare staff has always been important, but the COVID pandemic both amplified and highlighted the extent of the issue. If we are going to ensure the survival of our healthcare systems, we need to start by looking after and supporting the very core of them: the people. I’m so glad that this book brings together practice and expertise from around the world, especially as it gives due consideration to the importance of things like diversity and inclusion. Every healthcare institution (and in fact others) could and should learn from this and integrate it into their workplace. Because, as someone quoted so rightly put it: “stop calling it wellbeing It’s being – it’s normal. It’s not an optional extra.”
“This book helps to meet a desperate need. Levels of healthcare staff stress, turnover and sickness absence – already at crisis levels before the pandemic – are deeply damaging our ability to care for those in our communities. The chapters are practical, powerful and wide ranging in describing how to act to address the underlying causes and consequences of working in environments that fail to meet our core human needs. They describe the content and successes of courageous interventions to bring about change, firmly embedded in robust psychological theory and research. Woven together by the core themes of compassion and justice, the chapters together offer a rich resource for leaders across our healthcare systems who must now recognise that high quality and compassionate care for staff is fundamental to ensuring high quality and compassionate care for our communities”.