Session 8: Families, NHS staff, mental health

Watch session 8 (Wednesday 2 June) again: This session looks at the wellbeing of the population during the pandemic, with a focus on the welfare and mental health needs of NHS and frontline staff, families and young people. The Government’s decisions and how it communicated them to the public have had a major impact on the public’s responses, wellbeing and safety. Frequently, sections of the public have been blamed for their responses. We will ask if this was fair. The NHS employs 1.5 million staff and they have been through an extraordinarily traumatic time: burnout, anxiety, depression and PTSD are common.


Witnesses: 

Stephen Reicher | Professor of Social Psychology, Univ. of St Andrews; participant in SPI-B (SAGE) and Advisory Group to Scottish CMO on Covid-19; member of Independent SAGE, Dr Rachel Sumner | Senior Lecturer in Psychology, School of Natural & Social Sciences, University of Gloucestershire; and co-researcher Elaine Kinsella | Chartered psychologist, lecturer in psychology, University of Limerick, Ireland, Rachel Ambrose | NHS nurse in CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health service) and Nurses United, Jonathan Portes | Professor of Economics & Public Policy at King’s College London and former senior civil servant

Rachel Ambrose, NHS nurse in CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health service) and part of Nurses United's leadership speaking at Session 8 of the People's Covid Inquiry

Professor Stephen Reicher speaking as a witness at the People's Covid Inquiry about how the Government prioritised 'dates not data'

Dr Rachel Sumner tells us about her and Elaine Kinsella's research at the eighth session of the People's Covid Inquiry, which looked at the physiological welfare of frontline workers in the UK and Republic of Ireland

Jonathan Portes estimates the cost of education output lost during the pandemic was around 30 billion, it was proposed that the government spend about 15 million on catch up, yet they are only providing one and a half billion.