Increasing concern over the effect the pandemic is having on NHS workers' mental health

There are increasing concerns about the effect that working long hours in unfamiliar roles, and seeing many more deaths than normal, is having on health workers.

Many say they're finding life very tough at the moment and several are suffering from mental health problems such as stress and trauma as a result of dealing with Covid-19. That's according to a new YouGov poll for the IPPR thinktank.

The statistics from the poll show that as many as 50% of NHS staff are struggling with their mental health at the moment. Figures also show that 50% of staff are working more than normal in hospitals. 65% of staff at GP's are also doing longer hours than normal.

It's not just patient-facing roles that are putting in additional hours either, 48% of healthcare scientists and technical scientific staff working in NHS testing labs and blood banks are also working overtime.

A quarter of all NHS workers now say they feel highly anxious, and 27% would currently rate their feelings of anxiety as an 8 out of 10 (with 10 being completely anxious.) This is compared to 9% rating their anxiety at the same level in late February and March. It's an increasing concern for staff across our region.

Nurses Geminie Ellis and Anna Bailey from Chelmsford have seen first hand the effect coronavirus is having on the mental health of NHS workers.

Nurses Geminie and Anna are running 400K in 4 weeks to raise money for the hospital they work at Credit: ITV News Anglia

They both work at Broomfield Hospital and after seeing just how much Covid-19 has impacted the menteal wllbeing of their colleagues, they decided to run the equivalent of 250 miles to raise money for the hospital.

Geminie has admitted that she's felt anxious herself. She works shifts in the Covid wards at the hospital.

Many trusts have now set up units to enable staff to talk about their concerns.

Check out Russell Hookey's full report below for more:

Coronavirus: Everything you need to know