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1st March 2022

The terrible tragedy currently engulfing Ukraine is at the forefront of so many of our minds right now and our thoughts are firmly with the Ukrainian people and their friends and family members around the globe.

Issued on behalf of Sir David Sloman, Chief Operating Officer, NHS England and NHS Improvement

'The situation in Ukraine will be on a lot of people's minds. Many of us will be worried about friends and family in the country now, and I want to reiterate that the role that colleagues from Ukraine and the other affected areas play within the NHS is vital. If you have family and friends in Ukraine, or are impacted by this or anything else that is causing you concern, remember that resources are available to support you.

The question that we are all asking ourselves is ‘what can we do to help?’ A national effort is underway to provide support to Ukraine and to ensure the NHS stands ready to provide further support as needed. Organisations across the NHS and the health and care sector as a whole will be keen to help. In order to coordinate this help, to avoid creating disruption or duplication, please submit offers of assistance to E: England.incident14@nhs.net

The Charity Commission and Fundraising Regulator have urged the public to ‘give safely’ to registered charities as people make generous donations to causes helping to support and protect people affected by the invasion of Ukraine. The Disasters Emergency Committee, a coalition of 15 leading UK charities, has launched its collective appeal to provide emergency aid and rapid relief to civilians suffering during the conflict.'

The increased likelihood of cyberattacks has also been well documented, and the NHS Digital cyber security team and our local security team are working extra hard to ensure we are all safe from any new cyberattacks.

Locally we are blocking all traffic from the Russian Federation and Ukraine to help protect our systems. The cyber security teams are also working hard to identify any unusual traffic or new phishing campaigns. It’s important that we all remain extra vigilant at this critical time and take steps to protect our services from disruption.

In particular:

  • If you are a community SystmOne user, please download your caseloads, appointments and/or visits to the Mobile Working application in case of any disruption to the network or system
  • If you receive an email that you think is suspicious and may be a phishing or scam email, please either click the ‘Report Phishing’ button on your Outlook toolbar or forward the email as an attachment to: spamreports@nhs.net. 

If you have any concerns or questions please contact: dchst.info.gov@nhs.net.

As we know all to well following our experiences with the pandemic, it is difficult and distressing to hear, see and read about traumatic events such as those unfolding in Ukraine as well as other crises and disasters in the news. It is usual to experience distress when faced with traumatic events. Working in the health service also means we may be more involved with information about trauma and work with people directly affected. We may also have loved ones who are directly involved.

Common reactions to traumatic events include feeling low, anxious, not sleeping well, feeling hopeless and imagining the worst. Such feelings can stick around over time and this can be a normal reaction.

However if you start to worry that you are unable to shake off how you are feeling, if might be worth talking to someone about  how you can tune into some healthier ways to cope.

'Psychological First Aid' is an evidence based approach to help us and those close to us or whom we work with at times of crises. The essentials of this approach are founded in offering practical, calm and kind support whilst encouraging people to make use of their usual helpful coping strategies and find new ones if needed.

Further evidence based information and ideas  about ways to help you support yourself and others are discussed in this BBC article- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60557186

Our children will be hearing and seeing things about the war however much we want to shield them from what is happening. It can feel difficult to know how best to talk and listen to them and help them manage their emotions- you may find it helpful to read some useful tips on this from the British Psychological Society.

https://www.bps.org.uk/news-and-policy/supporting-children-manage-anxiety-over-war-conflict-and-crises

With the overwhelming support and sympathy being felt for the people of Ukraine, you may be wondering how you can help, or even where you can access external help if you have family or friends who are directly affected by the refugee crisis as a result of the invasion of Ukraine. These links may also help if you come across anyone who needs support in the course of your work or in the community.

Here are details of a number of Eastern European community organisations, collated by Dr Jo Hall, DCHS principal clinical psychologist, which will be useful:

Building Resilience Programme in Bolsover

There is a Building Resilience Programme in Bolsover which provides support for migrants in the locality which can be accessed by visiting the contact centres:

  • Bolsover Contact Centre, Cotton Street, Bolsover S44 6HR
  • Clowne Contact Centre, The Arc, High Street, Clowne S43 4JY
  • Shirebrook Contact Centre, 209 Station Road, Shirebrook NG20 8AF
  • South Normanton Contact Centre, The Hub, Shiners Way, South Normanton DE55 2AA.

You can find further details here: Contact centres (bolsover.gov.uk). They also have a separate office in Shirebrook Town Centre – again in the Market place, however this is only open Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Eastern European community groups in Derbyshire:

How to donate to support the Ukrainian people

These links will take you to organisations collecting in aid of Ukraine. There may be others but these are the ones we are currently aware of: