Stoke Mandeville Hospital’s memorial tree campaign honours health workers who have died by suicide
A memorial tree was planted at Stoke Mandeville Hospital’s Peace Garden to remember healthcare workers who have lost their lives to suicide.
A ceremony to mark the planting took place yesterday on National Suicide Memorial Day for Health and Care Workers. (September 17)
The annual event was launched last year by the charity Doctors in Distress and NHS Practitioner Health.
The health and wellbeing of staff has been, and continues to be, a key priority for Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. In the most recent NHS Staff Survey, the Trust came second nationally for taking positive action for staff health and wellbeing.
Neil Macdonald, Chief Executive of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust said: “By joining the Doctors in Distress’ National Memorial Tree campaign and planting a tree in our grounds, we are highlighting our duty of care for the mental health of our colleagues, as well as remembering those who have lost their lives. The people who work here, giving their all to provide outstanding care to our patients deserve nothing less than our unwavering support for their wellbeing.”
Amandip Sidhu, Founder of Doctors in Distress added: “My cardiologist brother died by suicide in 2018 therefore this is a very emotive topic for me. It is really important for me to know that there are NHS Hospital Trusts which understand the pressure their workforce has faced and continues to have to deal with, and who are prepared to talk about the issue of suicide in the workforce.”
The Trust extends thanks to the BHT Charitable Fund, which funded the purchase of the tree and wall plaque, volunteer garden designers Catherine Gibbon and Jen Donnelly, who consulted on the tree choice as well as Amethyst Designs UK for donating the ground plaque for the tree.
> Statistics show that in the UK one doctor takes their own life every three weeks and one nurse takes their own life every week.
The Memorial Day has been organised as a time to honour their lives, acknowledge the challenges faced by those in the profession and spark change to protect the mental health of healthcare staff.