Psychological peer support for staff: implementing the Trauma Risk Management model in a hospital setting
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Psychological peer support for staff: implementing the Trauma Risk Management model in a hospital setting

Moya Flaherty Supporting Our Staff lead, Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust, Northampton, England
Victoria Elizabeth O’Neil Head of academic programmes, Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust, Northampton, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To increase your understanding of the Trauma Risk Management model of psychological peer support

  • To appreciate the potential benefits of peer support for staff exposed to challenging events or times

  • To read about one trust’s response to increased staff support needs during the COVID-19 pandemic

One of the many consequences of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is that the psychological well-being of nurses and other healthcare staff has received greater attention. The Supporting Our Staff (SOS) service, set up in 2017 at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust, provides psychological peer support to staff using the Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) model. TRiM is a psychological risk assessment and peer support model designed to mitigate the risks associated with exposure to traumatic events. It was initially developed and used in the UK armed forces but has started to be used in healthcare organisations.

This article describes the development and expansion of the SOS service, the implementation of the TRiM model by the SOS team, and the significant part the service has played in the trust’s response to the increased psychological support needs of its staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nursing Management. doi: 10.7748/nm.2021.e1977

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@moyaflaherty

Correspondence

moshopsacc@gmail.com

Conflict of interest

None declared

Flaherty M, O’Neil VE (2021) Psychological peer support for staff: implementing the Trauma Risk Management model in a hospital setting. Nursing Management. doi: 10.7748/nm.2021.e1977

Published online: 19 October 2021

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