• Charlotte E Hall, Joanna Milward, Cristina Spoiala, Jaskiran K Bhogal, Dale Weston, PottsHenry W WHWWInstitute of Health Informatics and, London, UK., Tristan Caulfield, Michael Toolan, Kate Kanga, Sarah El-Sheikha, Kevin Fong, and Neil Greenberg.
• Behavioural Science and Insights Unit, UK Health Security Agency, Salisbury, UK.
• Br J Anaesth. 2022 Jun 1; 128 (6): 971979971-979.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic generated a surge of critically ill patients greater than the capacity of the UK National Health Service (NHS). There have been multiple well-documented impacts associated with the national COVID-19 pandemic surge on ICU staff, including an increased prevalence of mental health disorders on a scale potentially sufficient to impair high-quality care delivery. We investigated the prevalence of five mental health outcomes; explored demographic and professional predictors of poor mental health outcomes; and describe the prevalence of functional impairment; and explore demographic and professional predictors of functional impairment in ICU staff over the 2020/2021 winter COVID-19 surge in England.MethodsEnglish ICU staff were surveyed before, during, and after the winter 2020/2021 surge using a survey which comprised validated measures of mental health.ResultsA total of 6080 surveys were completed, by ICU nurses (57.5%), doctors (27.9%), and other healthcare staff (14.5%). Reporting probable mental health disorders increased from 51% (before) to 64% (during), and then decreased to 46% (after). Younger, less experienced nursing staff were most likely to report probable mental health disorders. During and after the winter, >50% of participants met threshold criteria for functional impairment. Staff who reported probable post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, or depression were more likely to meet threshold criteria for functional impairment.ConclusionsThe winter of 2020/2021 was associated with an increase in poor mental health outcomes and functional impairment amongst ICU staff during a period of peak caseload. These effects are likely to impact on patient care outcomes and the longer-term resilience of the healthcare workforce.Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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