Innovative NHS staff support project visits Edinburgh Fringe

The project was developed by Wake the Beast Theatre Company and Dr Sue Gibbons, clinical psychologist, with NHS and social care partners and psychologists, and started as a way of supporting healthcare staff who were exhausted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Staff were interviewed about their experiences of working through the pandemic, with their words then used to create verbatim theatre performances, which are followed by psychologist-led sessions, allowing those taking part to talk and reflect.

'In The Sick Of It' includes stories from over 500 NHS and social care staff collected across the four years of the project, brought to life by two actors playing multiple roles in an interactive accident and emergency department.

Sue Gibbons, the clinical psychologist who collaborated with Adam McGuigan, artistic director of Wake The Beast, to launch the project as a staff support initiative, said:

"The initial inspiration for the project came from Adam and my work using theatre-based projects in Zambia, and the importance of storytelling that came through from the people we worked with.

"We were keen to make sure we included the perspectives of staff from diverse backgrounds, whose voices and experiences may not have previously been heard, and also to include the many creative ways health and social care staff have found to deal with the difficult situations that they face every day.

"We also wanted to make sure we weren't pitching it as a 'psychological intervention', but rather as the chance for people to watch the show and then talk about their own experiences, if they wanted to. We would regularly hear how moved and acknowledged staff felt to have their own words and experiences performed back to them through the show."

'In The Sick Of It' provides a darkly humorous and thoughtful exploration of the unspoken toll on healthcare workers, and aims to spark a much-needed conversation about who cares for the nation's carers. 

It's the first time these real-life stories from the people at the heart of our hospitals and care homes have been taken to a public audience. The show has been shortlisted for an Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2024 Sit-Up Award for its work advocating for the mental health and wellbeing of healthcare staff.

'In The Sick Of It' will be performed at Assembly George Square Studios in Edinburgh from 1-26 August – you can find out more about the show on its website.

The BPS is continuing to campaign for funding for NHS Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs, with more information available on our website.