“Address workplace trauma; make work psychologically safe,” says lead psychologist at annual nursing conference

Key points

• Organisational trauma presents itself in a range of ways in the workplace
• Nurses across the Trust paid tribute to outgoing Chief Nurse Steph Bridger, who gave a tearful farewell
• In her keynote address, psychologist Dr Estelle Moore said Steph’s legacy was about the importance of making work a safe space psychologically for all staff
• New Chief Executive Maria O’Brien attended her first ever West London nursing conference since she started in post this week

As workplaces tackle the impact of organisational trauma on everything from staff wellbeing, productivity, and patient care, Dr Estelle Moore, Director of Psychological Professions, says all staff and organisations have a role to play in making the workplace psychologically safe.

Estelle was speaking at West London NHS Trust’s annual nursing conference, in Twickenham, where hundreds of nurses from across the Trust gathered to share expertise, reflect, connect and discuss the most pressing matters facing the workforce.  Among those in attendance, was the Trust’s new Chief Executive Maria O’Brien, who is a nurse herself.  

“Trauma sits in our lives. 1 in 4 of us in this room will have had adversities that’s probably brought you into nursing and makes you the compassionate person you are,” Estelle said.

Estelle explained that in order to provide safe care for patients, nurses and NHS staff must themselves have a supportive, restorative and psychologically safe culture at work as well.

But what exactly is psychological safety?

Estelle said it is the shared belief that it is safe to discuss ideas, experiment, take risks, give feedback and learn from mistakes in your team so every person in the organisation is responsible for that.

A lack of psychological safety at work can lead to lower productivity, staff shortages and burnout, among other things.

The impact of organisational trauma

“Sometimes we get overwhelmed and we might have a range of common trauma responses, like we freeze, fight, fight, flop… these are normal reactions to trauma, and sometimes we are trained to “carry on but these fight or flight responses affect our bodies.

“These same responses can happen in the organisations we work for, so it’s possible that some of the pain and anxiety we don’t necessarily talk about with one another or express, is literally sitting in our organisations, because our organisations are made up of people operating relationally. So it’s possible for an organisation to be susceptible to some of those trauma reactions,” said Estelle.

“So if you’ve ever felt like a minion or someone who is being moved from one thing to another or not necessarily noticed in the workplace, some of those small micro-aggressions, operating in silos, difficulty solving problems are the reality for many staff. That’s something about the trauma in the system that plays out for all of us.”

Estelle highlighted a number of ‘protective factors’ for teams that might be act as a “buffer” for some of the stresses we face at work.

• Strong shared identity and purpose
• Shared language and vision
• Financial stability
• Good health and safety resources
• Cultural humility to work together with others who r diff to ourselves but bringing something very important

She said workplaces have a responsibility to address the systems that contribute to workplace stress.

‘Everyone is responsible’

“Our systems addressing the chronic stresses in the workplace are important as they sit behind some of our workplace stress and how it affects us. Things like does the workplace look after us, are the hours reasonable, is there incivility between colleagues because we’re all under stress, staff shortages and the impact of that, these things are out of our control but they affect our bodies.

“Changing behaviour takes time, and we can’t do it on our own. We want to move from surviving all this stuff to thriving. We want you to discharge the stress from your nervous system and bodies to enable you to become what you were meant to be – strong empowered and amazing nurses.

“Each of us needs the other to get there, to help one another. Each of us will fall short at some point in time, and each of us will make a mistake. How we respond to one another in the making of the mistake is absolutely critical. We want to step away from the blame culture, and look at how we take responsibility and learn as we go forward.

“Your work requires psychological safety. Steph’s legacy is telling us to think more about that and why it matters.”

Steph’s farewell

Estelle often referenced the legacy and teachings of outgoing Chief Nurse Steph Bridger, who had earlier read an emotional goodbye letter to the Trust, as she heads off to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, where she has been appointed Chief Nursing Officer.

Steph asked attendees to take a moment to remember the patients and staff lost during the covid-19 pandemic, citing all the “special people” she had worked with over the years.

“It’s hard to capture all the things I want to say,” said Steph. “Valuing each other, celebrating each other are the cornerstones of what we do, and what we should continue to do. Show each other compassion and kindness, even when frustrated and tired. We have achieved a lot but there is more to do. I will miss you all.”

The conference featured a packed schedule, complete with presentations on a range of topics from professionals across services in the Trust.

Attendees were treated to vibrant performances from the Trust’s choir, and enjoyed a range of free activities, including puppy therapy, painting, and sessions on mindfulness, and ‘Being your best self’. There were also glitter artists, a free photo booth and a West London Charity raffle prize draw.

The day ended with the annual nursing awards, and a special farewell to Steph. 

West London nursing award winners