COVID-19 (Coronavirus) appeal to support NHS patients and staff

Maudsley Charity is proud to be supporting South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) patients and staff in response to  COVID-19 (coronavirus), offering support to people experiencing mental illness both in hospital and in the community across Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark – and Bethlem Royal Hospital, Bromley

High levels of anxiety, stress and insecurity are just some of the things patients and NHS staff are facing as COVID-19 continues to impact on our daily lives.

Living with mental illness has always been tough, but this is now being made worse by the Coronavirus, with many of the services and activities that patients rely on disrupted, causing worsening illness and extreme loneliness (Footnote 1).

We know that the Coronavirus is disproportionality impacting people who are already struggling, with many people finding it difficult to adapt to the way we are now living. And this is just the beginning – mental health services are struggling to support a growing proportion of people who need them. COVID-19 can also lead to neurological complications, and high rates of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder have been reported in people who recover after hospital admission (Footnote 2).

And it’s not just patients who are struggling, informal carers have never been under so much pressure, and many NHS staff are also struggling. Nationally the NHS is reporting rising staff sick days attributed to mental Ill health, with nearly 1/3 of all absences relating to mental illness. Strikingly mental health-related absences were three times higher than COVID-related sickness in summer 2020.

The Maudsley Charity continues to work to help improve the lives of patients and staff. We support the immediate needs of people as well as providing longer term solutions, working with our partners South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London University putting health care backed by proven science, at the heart of our work.

We need your help. Your donation will help us to provide more support to those in most need. If you would like to make a donation to support our work, please follow the ‘Make a donation’ link at the bottom of this page. Your donation will be used where the need is greatest.

Find out more about how we are addressing the mental health impact of COVID-19 here.

Sources: 

Footnote 1 – Source: World Health Organisation

Footnote 2 – source reference 18: BMJ