Making adjustments to support colleagues at work

July 16, 2018

Conflict Resolution Trainer, Richard Burnell has recently been appointed as Chair of our disability and long term conditions staff network. In this issue of Heartbeat, he has bravely shared his story to raise awareness of the importance of supporting those with a disability or long term condition within our organisation.

Richard, who joined us in 2009 was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2011, this means he experiences periods of depression and periods of hypomania.

“My condition is what they call rapid cycling bipolar,” Richard told Heartbeat.
“This means that my mood can change from one day to the next, and sometimes I can suffer bouts of depression and then hypomania within the same day. When I am in the depression cycle, I have chronic anxiety – I have sweaty palms, dry mouth and feel really fatigued.
“The best way I can describe mania is feeling really excited all of the time and doing everything in double speed. It can create a lot of stress as you end up saying yes to everything and then being unable to complete what you have said you will do.”

When he was first diagnosed, Richard struggled understand his diagnosis.
“I was embarrassed,” he said. “I thought that it was a form of weakness and I was worried about how I would continue to do my job. I did a lot of teaching in the mornings, and this seemed to be when I was at my worst.”
He knew that he couldn’t go on without talking to his line manager.
“When I made the decision to talk to John (Rigby) I was incredibly nervous, but he was brilliant. I said ‘John, I have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, but I don’t want anyone to know.’
“Straight away, John found us a private room so that I would feel safe to discuss my issues. He just said ‘what can I do to help?’ and from that moment on he has been incredibly supportive of me.”

Together Richard and John came up with a plan which would support Richard to manage his illness and his work better. John suggested that Richard could be flexible with his start times.
“I explained that mornings were the worst time for me,” said Richard.
“So we agreed that I could take a flexible approach to my work hours and start at 10am and work through to 6pm. John also sets my monthly targets, but is flexible on how I achieve them. He understands that I will achieve a lot more on a good day as oppose to when I am suffering a particularly bad day.”

“John also gives me adequate notice of any changes that may be happening. He understands that it could affect me if he drops something on me suddenly.”
Richard now handles his illness a lot better than when he was first diagnosed and recognises the part that John has played in this.
He said: “I could never have got to his point without John’s support. He is understanding of my illness and shows confidence in me to perform well in my job with some slight adjustments.”
Richard is delighted to have been appointed chair of the disability and long term conditions staff network and he is hoping to encourage colleagues who may be struggling themselves to have the courage to seek support from either the network or their line manager.
“The network is there to advise both the organisation and individual colleagues,” Richard said to Heartbeat.
He added: “I would like to encourage colleagues to speak up if they are experiencing any issues relating to a disability or long term condition. There is no need to feel embarrassed or ashamed. Talking things through with your manager can help you to understand the impact on your role and put strategies in place to support you.”

John is delighted to see Richard doing so well now. He said: “There is a stigma attached to mental health that should not be there; it is an illness along with many other illnesses that can be managed in the workplace with time and understanding.
“I am glad that Richard had the confidence in me to speak out so that we could together devise a plan that supports him and gives the organisation an effective member of staff.”

If you would like to speak to someone regarding a disability or long term condition, please contact either Richard (richard.burnell@nhs.net) or Stuart Young, Head of Equality and Diversity (stuartyoung1@nhs.net)