High levels of workplace stress, a feeling of being overwhelmed and unmanageable workloads have a real impact on the quality of health and social care services and costs to the provider.   NHS leaders are continuing to report worrying levels of stress, bullying, harassment and discrimination in the workplace.

 

The Kings Fund recognises that to support staff and improve care, leadership at all levels needs to be collective, compassionate and inclusive. That can only happen when leaders and executives are supported too. A leader working close to 'burn out' is unlikely to make good decisions. Increased stress leads to increased absence and higher costs which correlates directly to worse outcomes for people using services. 

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Many executives and senior leaders working in health and social care do not have a safe place to decompress, to offload the difficult days, to find challenge that doesn't judge. That is where independent decompression coaching can help. We offer qualified coaches who understand the challenges leaders in health and social care services face. 

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Decompression coaching isn't counselling; it doesn't treat mental ill health but does help prevent stress becoming too large to manage.  Offloading in a safe place, can bring perspective and our consultant coaches can steer people to improved ways of working, to set clear priorities, understand what is manageable and understand how to address that which isn't. 

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Executives and senior leaders often feel unable to decompress in their workplace; they feel they need to set and sell a positive culture or that they cannot complain about their workload when others are working so hard. They feel suggesting feeling overwhelmed is admitting failings that may impact on their career. An independent coach can alleviate those concerns, offering impartiality, and confidentiality. 

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For providers, it is a way of supporting your leaders, to ensure they do have a sounding board, someone to help them look at how they are leading and how they might feel less overwhelmed.  

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