DCP Faculty of Leadership and Management

Since its inception, the project has set out a number of initiatives including development of a psychometrically validated wellbeing tool, annual Wellbeing Surveys, setting out of a collaborative Learning Network (CLaN), Pathfinder Sites, development of Individual and Organizational Impact Tools, Round Table Consultations and awareness raising material.

Its awareness raising activities have included many successful events and meetings with psychological professionals, senior leaders, policy makers and politicians.

A set of events have been run across the country including:

• a showcase event as part of DCP 50th Birthday celebrations at the House of Commons
• the Launch of the CLaN and Pathfinder sites
• Psychological Safety in Preston
• the New Savoy Conferences
• Super Human or Simply Human - What we want from our leaders in York
• Collaborative Learning Network, Promoting Partnership & Supporting learning  at APPTs Forum, London.
• No Health without Mental Health - European Clinical Psychology Takes Responsibility: Ensuring effective treatment with a whole system approach to psychological workforce wellbeing – lessons from the UK at European Association of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Treatment (EACLIPT) Annual Conference, Dresdon, Germany.
• Psychological Wellbeing of the NHS Workforce, Psychological Professional network conference

As part of its initiative to combat stigma a number of key leaders and professionals have joined the project events to speak about Lived Experiences and their experiences at work. 

Whist the initiative reached a fast momentum in its initial years with a significant impact, it faced difficulties for voicing concerns and calling for action.  However, the tide seems to be turning towards better awareness to tackle stigma and support workforce wellbeing.

Improved workforce wellbeing matters in its own right; it increases a number of highly valued clinical and organisational outcomes.

Unfortunately, despite the initiative’s success, it was not longer possible to deliver on the expectations without resources to match the scale of the problem. Consequently, the project was put on hold in 2018 except for its annual wellbeing survey.

The initiative is now being refreshed following an award by the DCP.

A partnership project has been set out in 2020 with the London School of Economics and Social Sciences.

The following Working Paper explores the case for a charter for staff wellbeing for psychological therapy services.

This paper describes a joint initiative by the Leadership and Management Faculty of BPS Division of Clinical Psychology and New Savoy Conference to undertake a review of workforce wellbeing in psychological services.

It reports the results of a snapshot survey of staff wellbeing in psychological therapies in 2014 and compares these with a similar survey undertaken at the start of the national programme for Improving Access for Psychological Therapies (IAPT) in 2009.

The themes from the focus group consultation at the 8th New Savoy Conference in 2015 are discussed. Findings of this project are then considered to see how we can start to improve our own staff wellbeing

 A case for a charter for wellbeing at the workplace is put forward as a positive step to enable practitioners to take back the wellbeing agenda.

Read the full Case for a Charter for Psychological Wellbeing and Resilience in the NHS

The Charter for Workforce Wellbeing was launched at the 9th New Savoy conference (2016) supported by Public Health England and the NHS in Greater Manchester, as well as by leading providers.

A roundtable discussion was set to consult with the key stakeholders at the New Savoy conference.

40 people participated and represented various organizations.

Participants were asked to consider the findings of the survey and launch of the pledge in the wellbeing charter.

The two questions put for discussion were:

• What kind of collaborative is needed to take the charter forward most successfully?
• What are the key messages?

Read more about the Wellbeing Charter Collaborative Launch

Based on the consultation with the key stakeholders a Collaborative Learning Network (CLaN) was set out to promote a culture of openness, enabling environment and shared learning informed.

Such a leaning network is led by providers and those who are responsible for supporting the mental health and wellbeing of staff. A number of Pathfinder Site were recruited to initiate this process.

Read more about the Collaborative Learning Network

Workforce wellbeing is an intrinsic element of a robust and effective workforce strategy as without a resilient workforce, delivery on the organizational task is likely to be problematic.

The following paper argues that we need both a reenergised BPS workforce arm and the DCP Wellbeing Project.

Read about The Place of Wellbeing in the Psychological Professions Workforce Strategy

The 6th Psychological Professional Wellbeing Survey was conducted from May to July 2021, the survey received a total of 971 complete responses.

View the 2021 survey results

This study reports a survey of 1,678 psychological practitioners accessed through professional networks.

View the complete 2020 survey results

The 2019 wellbeing survey focussed on analysing trends, improving our measure, and taking the charter forwards.

View the complete 2019 survey results.

The 2018 wellbeing survey was promoted through professional networks and focussed on participants' feelings about work as well as collecting demographic information.

View the complete 2018 survey results.

The findings of the 4th Annual NSP/DCP Wellbeing Survey indicate that sustainability and transformation plans in mental health will be undeliverable unless psychological staff wellbeing, capacity and retention issues are urgently addressed.

View the summary of the 2018 survey results.

The well‐being of psychological practitioners is a key factor in the effective delivery of psychological therapies and the effectiveness of mental health services.

The 26‐item psychological practitioner workplace well‐being measure (PPWWM) measures psychological well‐being for psychological practitioners and was informed by a qualitative study.

View the full article about the development of the self-report psychometric measure.

Find out more about how the self-report psychometric measure was developed.

Wellbeing is fundamental to everything we are and everything we do at work, as well as outside of work.

Wellbeing is key at the level of the individual (and their family), the team, the workplace, the organisation, and the system.

Building a caring work culture is a proactive approach that will reap enormous rewards.

Read the full document on building a caring work culture

Sustainable job plans

• Guidelines on activity for clinical psychologists

Effective supervision processes

• Guidelines on clinical supervision

• DCP policy on supervision(link is external)

Continued professional development

• DCP Continuing Professional Development Guidelines

Career advice & progression opportunities

• BPS Career Options in Psychology

• NHS Leadership Academy

Appreciative appraisals

• 360 Degree Feedback: Best Practice Guidelines

Fit for purpose & proactive HR & OH processes

• Integrating wellbeing into performance management

• Quality appraisal of workers' wellbeing measures: a systematic review protocol

• Samaritans Working With Compassion Toolkit
• MIND - Guide to Wellbeing Action Plans
• Care Space - Creating a 10 Minute Pause Space

Reflective Practice forums

• Reflective practice for sport psychologists: concepts, models, practical implications, and thoughts on dissemination

• Clinical psychologists' use of reflection and reflective practice within clinical work

• Reflective practice: psychodynamic ideas in the community

• Exploring the personal and professional impact of reflective practice groups: a survey of 18 cohorts from a UK clinical psychology training course

• Personal professional development in clinical psychology training: surveying reflective practice

• Facilitating reflective practice groups in clinical psychology training: a phenomenological study

Schwartz rounds

• Point of Care Foundation: Schwartz Rounds

• The Schwartz Centre for Compassionate Healthcare

• HSE Introduction to Schwartz Rounds

Take Care, Give Care rounds

• Taking care, giving care: an intervention to support compassionate care amongst healthcare staff

Compassion circles

• Institute of Healthcare Management: Could Compassion Circles Scale?

• Introducing compassion circles to health and social care organisations

• Closing the compassion Gap in health and social care (Andy Bradly)

Learning cycles

• Wikipedia: Learning Cycle

• Kolb's Learning Styles and Experiential Learning Cycle

Wellbeing quality initiatives

• HSE Guidance on Health and Wellbeing Standards

• HSE Framework for Improving Quality in our Health Service

Compassionate leadership at organisational, professional, and governmental levels

• BPS Practice Guidelines (Third Edition)
• Clinical Psychology Leadership Development Framework
• Five myths of compassionate leadership | The King's Fund
• HSE Guidance on Health and Wellbeing Standards
• Leadership and counselling psychology: What should we know? Where could we go?
• Leadership development in counselling psychology: Voices of leadership academy alumni
• Leadership Development and Support for Clinical Psychologists (Health and Social Care)
• Leadership for Educational Psychologists: Principles and Practicalities
• NHS Staff and Learners' Mental Wellbeing Commission Report
• NHS Long Term Plan - Improving Care Systems
• We are the NHS: People Plan for 2020/21 - action for us all

Wellbeing guardians and leaders network

• BMA - Call to roll out workers' mental health guardians
• Health Education England welcomes support for Wellbeing Guardians
• NHS Staff and Learners' Mental Wellbeing Commission

Robust workforce planning

• Workforce Planning | Office of Human Resources

Effective incident briefing

• Mental health response to disasters and other critical incidents
• Psychological Debriefing for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Psychological First Aid - World Health Organisation
• Scoping Review: Early Post-Trauma Interventions in Organisations

Implement NICE, HSE & professional standards

• HSE: Information about health and safety at work

Tackle stigma, discrimination & bullying

• Organisational culture | The King's Fund
• Psychology at work: improving wellbeing and productivity in the workplace

Cultivate psychological safety

• What is psychological safety and why is it the key to great teamwork
• A conversation with Amy Edmondson about psychological safety and the future of work
• Amy Edmondson on the power of psychological safety
• Video: Amy C. Edmondson Talk on Psychological Safety

Foster a culture of listening, reflection, and learning

• Build a Culture That Aligns with People's Values
• The Culture Factor - Harvard Business Review
• Organisation Development - NHS Leadership Academy
• Culture and collective leadership | NHS Improvement

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