Care homes can be a stressful environment, but unhappy staff are less able to support and care for residents. Charlotte Goddard finds out how one organisation is using tech to promote staff wellbeing.

Practitioner wellbeing has been heavily impacted by the pandemic. University of Exeter research found care home staff have been suffering from upset and trauma, stress and guilt. Even pre-pandemic, 51% of care home staff said they had considered leaving their job because of its effect on their mental health, according to The Care Workers Charity. Wellbeing organisation Oomph! is expanding its support for care home staff, with the launch of digital platform myStrength – delivered by Oomph!

“Oomph! works with more than 1,200 care homes which means we are able to instantly reach thousands of care workers and hopefully make a real difference at a time of crisis,” says Ben Allen, Oomph!’s founder and chief executive. The organisation already provides training for care home staff as well as Oomph! On Demand, which gives care homes digital access to specialist wellbeing programmes designed around the needs and interests of residents.

“Oomph! On Demand came to life during the pandemic so we could continue to bring expert wellbeing to care homes and their residents,” says Allen. “Our new digital platform enables us to revolutionise care homes’ access to wellbeing and enrich the lives of even more residents, so it was a natural next step for Oomph! to think about care worker wellbeing.”

Oomph! is partnering with US organisation Teladoc Health to create the app, which allows staff to access on-demand, personalised wellbeing resources and interact with a real-life, UK-based guide.

Teladoc’s own portal has been running in the US for 12 years and has been developed using eight evidence-based psychotherapy models, including cognitive behavioural therapy. “This [content] is not something you could Google and find online,” says Rebecca Newman, director of mental health services at Teladoc Health. A randomised control trial in 2017 found that myStrength users experienced a reduction of depressive symptoms 18 times greater than the control group.

myStrength – delivered by Oomph! has been designed specifically for UK care workers. “This is a wellness app, helping people maintain mental wellness before they need to be out of work,” says Newman. It provides support for a range of workplace and homelife issues including managing chronic pain, pregnancy, becoming a parent, dealing with drug and alcohol use and ageing.

Care workers are directed to personalised activities following a short assessment. For example, if someone’s answers show they may be suffering from burnout, they may be directed to a range of activities which help build resilience such as audio-guided mindfulness meditation. Like Netflix or Amazon, the app can recommend further activities based on what people have liked in the past. Content includes videos, articles and inspirational quotes and images created by healthcare experts, as well as tools to track health, create goals and improve sleep and mental health.

Care workers can send a message to their guide at any time, and the guide will respond within 24 business hours with encouragement, goal setting and activity suggestions. For example, a care worker may choose to share that he or she is struggling because a resident has died, and the guide will recommend activities to help.

At the same time as launching the new staff-focused platform, Oomph! is revamping Oomph! On Demand, with new features including direct access for residents, friends and family and wider care home staff beyond the activity co-ordinator. A resources hub allows care teams to improve their wellbeing delivery skills and a residents’ area allows care teams to track, plan and review the impact of activities. The new version launched in early February. “Bringing resident and employee wellbeing together along with training is a real gamechanger,” says Allen.