Teaching GPs about mindfulness and then their colleagues has facilitated a shared language and understanding re mindfulness in many surgeries across Gloucestershire, UK. This work has been hosted and supported by The Wellbeing Line for NHS Gloucestershire ICS #growthegreen. We know that many colleagues have buddied up to practice together and are integrating a mindful attitude and practice into their working lives (kindness to self, taking breaks, setting skilful boundaries, breathing spaces at the start of meetings, 50:50 into consultations and random acts of kindness to lighten the day). More importantly offering encouragement to each other to self-care. Many continue to attend seasonal Silent Retreat Days and monthly practice sessions to deepen and sustain their practice. Additional invites have arisen to attend Protected Learning Time events, Away Days or conduct County and Deanery level training which all contribute to nurturing a mindful primary care culture. You can watch our video Mindful Voices from Primary Care here.
95% believe the mindfulness training has had an impact on their clinical practice. They describe using mindfulness in their consultations so that they are listening better, able to be more tolerant and empathic, and not so inclined to be in ‘fix-it’ mode. In addition, many GPs and other staff have suggested that their patients enrol in a Mindfulness group or make use of Apps or other self-help literature so the ripples of this work can be felt by the wider patient community.
The aim of the project set up by our organisation A Mindful Practice was to build a mindful culture, alleviate stress and improve wellbeing and compassion in a beleaguered GP workforce by adapting the MBCT 8- week Mindfulness course; Finding Peace in a Frantic World to address their unmet needs and, indirectly, beyond the individual GP, the unmet needs of the communities that they serve. The adaptations have been iterative through deep listening, conversations and formal feedback from participants to co-create a programme that is tailored and sustained by a community of practice and is increasingly embedded in the culture of primary care.
Since 2020, 520 GPs and Primary Care staff in Gloucestershire have now been introduced to Mindfulness, through Practice Events, Tasters, and formal MBCT Training. 15 MBCT 8-week tailored courses have been provided for GPs and Primary Care staff that speak to the identified pain points with positive impact on stress, wellbeing, compassion and clinical practice. The Programme includes tasters, courses, development of champions, buddy system, online monthly community of practice, and seasonal silent retreat days. In order to further develop and sustain a mindful culture, a Mindfulness and Compassion Toolkit for Primary Care is being written collaboratively with local GPs (available end Nov 2024).
The Programme has now been embedded in the local ICB Wellbeing Line compassionate mind offerings and is currently being funded by NHS England (for 2024) and is being evaluated by Prof Chadwick (https://www.bath.ac.uk/research-centres/bath-centre-for-mindfulness-and-community/). Encouraging qualitative data is emerging that is consolidating our understanding of the needs of this staff group in domains of overwork and overwhelm, connection, time/agency as healers, communication, self-awareness, low sense of accomplishment and need for permission and model to self-care. Early Qualitative data suggests that the programme ‘works’ and has a significant positive impact on emotional wellbeing personally and professionally, job retention, enjoyment of work, personal and professional relationships, communication with patients and colleagues and establishment of clear boundaries around work and home.
A Mindful Practice is in discussions with GP and NHS organisations to extend this offer to GPs across the UK and was recently a Finalist for and Innovation Award from the Mindfulness Initiative https://mailchi.mp/mindfulnessinitiative/sept2024?e=f8de8ed79b
Here are some of the comments from some of the GPs and Primary Care staff who took part:
I was absolutely at breaking point and was not entirely sure that I could keep coming to work.
It’s actually helping with my retention in this job, and I know that sounds really dramatic, but it really is.
I’ve changed the way I live my life.
I think if it makes me feel that much better, my life feels richer and more colourful, imagine if everybody did it!
So, I’ve got back my gratitude for the people I work with and the place I work.
I’ve been enjoying it more, I don’t have that same dread.
It’s really helped me to stay put, I like my job. It’s helped me to see what I like about my job.
Just keep promoting or offering it, ……I can’t believe I learned something new and why did I not do this 20 years ago?
What made it really, really special is that you knew that everybody in the room was coming from the same place as you, the same background, the same having these experiences at work.
If there was a 10 out of 10, I’d give it 12. It was amazing. Everybody in our group said they felt happier. Everybody.
I’m more ruthless. You know, we are now going to have to say no to things that we’ve always said yes to before.
My motivation to come to work has come back.
So, it’s a good way when you’re absolutely dead on your knees to get some nourishment.
You don’t realise that by doing this course that you can sort of almost reset and learn new ways of thinking.
Email: astpsychology@aol.com
Website: astpsychology.co.uk
LinkedIn: Alison Sedgwick-Taylor
Alison Sedgwick-Taylor (Founder: A Mindful Practice)