Is Loneliness An Issue That Needs Addressing In The Nursing Workforce?

“We have been very concerned about the mental and emotional toll on the health of Nurses since the start of the pandemic”

The RCN has debated loneliness at both the 2018 and 2019 Congresses. The situation since then has arguably deteriorated, especially when the subsequent collateral damage of Covid pandemic policies are taken into account.

Is Loneliness An Issue For Nurses?

Following a debate at the RCN Congress in 2019, a resolution for the RCN to engage with the UK National Loneliness Strategy was passed.

The debate had focused on raising awareness of loneliness in the workplace.

It was felt that the impact of loneliness amongst nursing staff had not been sufficiently investigated and could potentially be affecting patient care and safety.

Recognising How Loneliness Affects Wellbeing

It was felt that the impact of loneliness amongst nursing staff had not been sufficiently investigated and could potentially be affecting patient care and safety.

An event at the previous year’s Congress in 2018 had highlighted the effects of feeling isolated working on an individual’s emotional wellbeing and professional performance.

Participants in the event, including Registered Nurses whose roles meant they worked in isolation, felt loneliness to be more prevalent than was generally recognised within the work environment.

The 2019 debate concluded that loneliness constituted a primary challenge for public health.

Do you agree that loneliness and its effects are not widely enough acknowledged in workplaces and as such constitute a major public health issue?

Raising Awareness

Loneliness and social isolation have been emergent issues in the United Kingdom for many years. Back in 2015 the charity Age UK launched its Campaign to End Loneliness.

The campaign aimed to raise awareness about loneliness and isolation and reduce the stigma around speaking up about loneliness.

Whilst that campaign focused on loneliness in older people in the community, it engendered greater awareness and understanding of how to identify and alleviate the symptoms of loneliness amongst the health and social care professionals involved.

Can Lessons Learnt Support Nurses?

Can the lessons learnt from this and other campaigns addressing loneliness be applied to Registered Nurses both in and out of the workplace? And if so, what would such an approach look like in practical terms?

An indication of how loneliness is spreading amongst Nurses can be seen in the demand for a ‘listening service’, set up during COVID.

Indicators During The Pandemic

We have been very concerned about the mental and emotional toll on the health of Nurses since the start of the pandemic.

The ‘TalkToUs’ service, introduced by the Queen's Nursing Institute (QNI) during the pandemic, has offered emotional support by phone to nearly 300 Registered Nurses since 2020.

The volunteers manning the service act as the ‘listeners’.

They have reported contact with Nurses from a variety of settings, including prisons and care homes.

The Queen’s Nursing Institute Chief Executive Dr Crystal Oldman speaking in 2021 said, “We have been very concerned about the mental and emotional toll on the health of Nurses since the start of the pandemic.”

How Loneliness Can Affect Retention

Many of those Registered Nurses contacting the service said they were contemplating leaving the profession due to the Covid-19 pandemic, feelings of isolation, financial pressures and the stress of maintaining family life revealed Suzanne Rich, the Project officer for the ‘TalkToUs’ service.

“[The] majority of the calls have been from individuals that needed to let off steam, to offload.

Knowing they have been listened to and heard has often meant they felt able to cope,” Ms Rich explained.

If loneliness and feelings of isolation are major causes for Nurses leaving their jobs or the profession entirely, will addressing these issues lead to a measurable increase in Nurse retention rates?

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