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The Ministry of Health has announced the establishment of a telephone line where nursing staff will find hospital psychologists willing to listen to them.
In the midst of a health crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic, times are hard for healthcare personnel. On the front line, the medical profession works tirelessly while facing the shortage of equipment and sometimes the ill-treatment that some people reserve for them. Doctors, nurses, caregivers and the entire medical community are people "vulnerable in normal times and even more so in the current unprecedented situation". This is why, the Minister of Health wants to make a commitment so that the nursing staff can have access "to the prevention, care and support systems required by Covid-19". Thus, after having spoken with the actors of the mental health and psychiatry sector, Olivier Véran announced the establishment of a national medical and psychological support platform for all health professionals.
This platform can be reached on 0800 73 09 58 (free number) and open to "all health professionals ", "whether they work in a hospital, medico-social or liberal environment, or whether they are health and intern students", the ministry said in an official statement. In addition, it is operational 7 days a week, from 8 am to midnight. Hospital and volunteer psychologists answer the calls of the nursing staff and listen to them. According to the ministry, it may evolve to better integrate certain regional initiatives.
This telephone platform is designed for "alleviate situations of isolation" experienced by health professionals, proposing "psychological assistance in the face of the current over-mobilization of doctors and carers"explains the press release.
The Minister of Health takes the opportunity to salute "the mobilization and responsiveness shown by psychiatric establishments and services from the start of the crisis". He also stressed "the essential role that the mental health and psychiatry sector must play in the Covid-19 crisis, both vis-à-vis its audiences, caregivers and the general population". He also said that he wanted the development plan for the mental health and psychiatry sector, which had been underway since June 2018, to continue.
Initiatives to help the medical community are gradually being put in place. In Ile-de-France, the Public Assistance – Hospitals of Paris (AP-HP) has created a free call number "Listen to Covid caregivers". The Occitania region has also launched a one-stop number for caregivers and the general public.
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by Sarah Chekroun