Cambridgeshire charity offers mental health lifeline to stressed key workers

An award-winning charity is offering a mental health lifeline to key workers affected by growing anxiety or worry due to the coronavirus outbreak.

PoetsIN, which supports children, young people and adults with mental wellbeing, has launched free mental health and wellbeing video workshops for NHS frontline staff and key workers.

Delivered via Zoom, the hour-long sessions aims to give participants the tools to manage stress, anxiety and depression.

Co-founder and chief operating officer Paul Chambers said: “In these unpredictable times, people‘s mental health has significantly declined. The uncertainty of COVID-19 and our future has understandably increased the effects of anxiety and for some people, this will be the first time they have felt this way.

“Frontline NHS staff and key workers will be under an unbelievable amount of stress, fatigue and worry and we wanted to do something to help. We believe these free mental health and wellbeing video workshops will provide those feeling the strain with valuable support and advice.”

The sessions, delivered to groups of 10, can be accessed via smartphones, tablets, laptops or PCs and are based on the PoetsIN IN-Person Creative Mental Health Programme™.

Participants have reported a 99 per cent reduction in the symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress.

Health care, social care and care home staff, people working within the emergency services, education settings and workers in the supply chain are all eligible to sign up to take part.

For more information or to book a session with a group of 10 people email bookings@poetsin.com

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The workshops are being funded by The Evelyn Trust, a grant-making charity which supports medical research and health and wellbeing projects in Cambridgeshire.