Handling Moral Injury

#NHSLTLC #moralinjury #psychologicalwellbeing

This film with Chris, Hannah and Esther explores the challenges of talking to our colleagues about moral injury, ways of trying to approach this and where the boundaries for these conversations might need to be. It also reminds us that it is not only the preserve of leaders to have these conversations but all of us as healthcare workers, friends, colleagues can engage and help each other.

Chapters:
00:10 Does the term Moral Injury cause confusion and reduce engagement with the message?
00:40 Why is it an “Injury”?
01:30 Importance of the Moral Injury conversation
02:21 What skills do I need to have a Moral Injury conversation?
06:38 With mental health, people become unwell, but people do get better too.
07:57 Moral Injury conversations are not only for leaders
08:37 If everyone is not OK, what do we do?

Reflective questions:
Don’t underestimate the power of listening. Listening is hard, but it is an intervention in its own right.

At the moment it can feel like we are just passing around the ‘barbed wire ball of pain’. So, think about how you will let the conversation go afterwards.

Points to consider prior to a conversation with someone you’re worried about:
● Have courage
● You have managed distress before so you will be able to manage this
● You don’t have to have the answers, talking can help them to find them
● Know where you can sign post them to if they need further, specialist help ● Consider arranging a time/date/opportunity for the next conversation so you are not leaving them alone.

Support material Our NHS people support offers:

This film has been commissioned by the London Transformation and Learning (LTLC), a joint initiative between Health Education England and NHE England and NHS Improvement aimed at supporting the cross-skilling of the London NHS workforce to manage.