Adam Kay: Withdrawing mental health support for NHS staff 'seems senseless and cruel'
The award-winner author and former NHS medic is supporting the #FundNHSHubs campaign to save the NHS Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs.
27 June 2023
BAFTA-winning, multi-million-bestselling author, TV writer and performer Adam Kay has joined Stephen Fry and Alastair Campbell in supporting the BPS's #FundNHSHubs campaign.
The author of 'This is Going to Hurt' has spoken extensively in the past about the mental health challenges he experienced in his previous career as an NHS doctor, and the impact of working on the frontline on his colleagues' wellbeing.
Now he's backing calls for the government to provide urgent funding to prevent NHS Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs from closing, after being a lifeline for thousands of struggling NHS and social care staff.
He said:
"Working in the NHS has never been tougher than it is today, with rates of burnout at their highest ever. Sadly the situation is only getting worse, as the crisis in staff retention deepens and workloads continue to grow.
"It is unthinkable that, at this time, the government would be closing down 40 wellbeing hubs offering staff access to mental health support. Staff who are struggling need to be able to access help, and it seems senseless and cruel to withdraw that support."
About the campaign
Launched in February 2021, in response to the trauma experienced by NHS staff during the Covid-19 pandemic, the hubs have provided NHS and social care staff with fast access to free and confidential local mental health services.
However government funding ended on 31 March 2023 and with no word from the government on future funding, hubs have been left in limbo with many forced to close, leaving staff without access to vital mental health services.
The #FundNHSHubs campaign is calling on the government to prioritise the mental wellbeing of NHS and social care staff and provide a minimum of one year's transitional funding for the hubs.
We're asking BPS members, and members of the public, to write to their MP to raise their concerns and to urge the government to protect the future of the hubs.