The Isle of Wight Ambulance Service has welcomed 12 special new recruits to the team to help reduce stress in the workplace.
Specialist Paramedic, Sophie Brockman, has implemented the free initiative to help reduce post-workplace stress among her Ambulance Service colleagues.
While attending the annual Emergency Service Mental Health Symposium last year Sophie met a police dog handler who shared more information about how dogs can help improve well-being in the workplace. They put her in touch with the Canine Concern Charity based in Eastbourne who helped Sophie develop this voluntary programme.
Sophie said:
“Due to the nature of our work our ambulance staff are regularly exposed to distressing situations. This can mean we are more vulnerable to developing significant mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, or the hidden problem of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
“Our NHS 111 and 999 hub staff are not immune from the stressful environment of emergency work either and they will also benefit from this new initiative. Our new 4-legged colleagues will support teams by visiting the Ambulance Station and spending time with the teams when they can during breaks and downtime during their shifts.”
The experience of using therapy dogs has been well explored in the care of patients and service users, but more recently there has been interest in how dogs can help with maintaining the welfare of healthcare staff.
Evidence shows that interacting with dogs can decrease levels of cortisol and systolic blood pressure which are indicators of heightened stress. Research also indicates that within 5 minutes of interaction with a dog, a person’s stress levels can reduce, making the use of care dogs a practical intervention for the workplace.
Director of Operations for the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service, Victoria White, who has also volunteered her own dog Freddie for the scheme said:
“I have personally seen first hand what a positive difference dogs can make in the care home my Dad is in. As soon as Sophie put the proposal forward I knew this would have an incredible effect for staff.
“Everyone will have a different approach to help them de stress, for some it might be talking things through with family, friends and colleagues but for others it could be something as simple as stroking or hugging a dog. I am incredibly grateful to Sophie for working so hard to put this in place for our staff and to those staff who are volunteering their time to support this initiative. This is just one way we are making sure we look after and support our staff.”
nothing at all against the dogs,…but I suppose it’s considerably cheaper than giving them a decent pay rise,..
perhaps we could get the public to clap for them as well (oh,.. that’s already been done)
I’m pretty sure the staff see some horrific sights whilst at work. Mental health can affect people differently. There’s no problem with our NHS staff, paramedics etc. The problem lies with our government and NHS senior management
I don’t know how the hell they process some of those sights and experiences.
In my dealings with them, they have been amazing, consumat professionalism with a smile and humour, a breed apart for sure.
Just another great example of how dogs help humans all the time. Amazing animals.