Psychological First Aid course
On Monday 15 June PHE launched an updated Psychological First Aid (PFA) digital training module, aimed at all frontline and essential workers and volunteers. The course aims to increase awareness and confidence to provide psychosocial support to people affected by COVID-19. The course is free, and no previous qualifications are required. It takes around 90 minutes to complete and is also available in three sessions for the learner to complete at their own pace. By the end of the course, outcomes will include: understanding how emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic can affect us, recognising people who may be at increased risk of distress and understanding how to offer practical and emotional support. Although this course is not specific for prisons, it may be a useful starting point for prison healthcare and prison custodial staff to consider the mental health impact of COVID-19.
Communication tools for COVID-19 in prisons - UK
The Beyond Words team have been working on a COVID-19 pictorial toolkit with Dr Caroline Watson, Royal College of General Practioners' Clinical Champion for Healthcare in secure environments, and Mr Michael Emmett, a former prisoner. They have co-created a specific COVID-19 secure environments resource kit for use by healthcare teams, prison officers, education staff, chaplaincy teams and peer support workers over the coming months to support residents who find pictures more accessible than the written word. More information can be found here https://wephren.tghn.org/articles/communication-tools-covid-19/ and you can watch Dr Watson introduce the resource below.