Resilience is needed in the NHS now more than ever - at an individual, organisational and systemic level. We all need to work together to prepare for, respond and adapt to, both ongoing change and major, unexpected disruptions. This is not just about surviving, its about minimising crisis's and identifying improvements, both personally and professionally. During 2020, and amid a global pandemic, NHS Trusts underwent an enormous change, much of which should be lauded as a huge achievement, especially given the circumstances.

Burnout” and stress among doctors, nurses, paramedics and other health staff has cost the NHS in England more than 15m lost working days since March 2020, about 50% more than the days lost to Covid infections and self-isolation.

Furthermore, analysis of official figures by the Observer reveals that NHS sickness figures show that between March 2020, the month of the first Covid lockdown, and last September, 15.4m working days have been lost in the NHS because of stress-related absences, compared with 9.8m days lost from staff who were required to self-isolate or were ill with Covid.

We also know that other important factors influence resilience, mental health, and wellbeing. These include feeling valued, being supported, and working as part of a team. Having “brilliant basics” in place e.g., a proper induction, welcome to a new Trust, routes for additional support, as well as a simple “thank you” for a job well done, are all important to support resilience.

We know that when we're better prepared and things are better planned that people feel more confident in their abilities at work. Covid-19 has meant that we all had to react quickly.

Today, the NHS is in a position to assess the transformation that has already taken place and make further improvements. In this way, we can look forward to building a more resilient workforce for the future, for all those who work in the NHS.

Even the most resilient of individuals can be derailed by stress. And there is a danger in portraying NHS staff as courageous angels of resilience. This might be comforting for the rest of the population, but it can be a heavy burden to bear.

Of course, achieving resilience isn’t just a challenge for doctors in the health service. Research conducted by Cranfield School of Management revealed that just under one third (29%) of business leaders trust that their organisations have fully embedded resilience practices. This is despite 88% believing that resilience is a priority for their organisations, and indispensable for long-term growth (80%).

It is not surprising that further studies show that NHS Trust leaders are concerned about the resilience and well-being of their staff. But the fact that 99% are either extremely or moderately concerned about the current level of burnout across their workforce, is a cause for both alarm and action.

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