LOCKDOWN LEADER: Beauty 76 and Massage Warehouse
One of the little-considered but key aspects of just how heroically and admirably our care workers have performed during lockdown is, the sacrifice they are making to their own well-being: and not just in terms of the risk of catching Covid-19.
As early as late June, an ITV News survey in conjunction with The Doctors' Association suggested that more than half of frontline NHS workers were “unable to cope” with the stress brought on by coronavirus (a very troubling 11 per cent had experienced suicidal thoughts, and 3.4 per cent said they had self-harmed).
Then, on the 19th June, the Royal College of Nursing issued a call to action to the government and employers on behalf of staff working in “stressful, exhausting and traumatic” environments, adding that depression, anxiety, stress and emerging signs of post-traumatic stress disorder were all reported widely in a recent survey of 4,063 members of the nursing and midwifery workforce in the UK, led by academics and NHS staff.
All of which is why, with the nation collectively coming together to support and cheer our NHS, some are going a good deal further: organisations such as Beauty 76 and Massage Warehouse, which have launched a campaign for massage, physical and complementary therapists to donate treatments to NHS workers after Covid-19.
Complementary therapists across the land are being united by Massage Warehouse, via their #massagetherapiststogether campaign, to donate free treatments after Covid-19 – from massages to reflexology to reiki - to say thank you to our NHS heroes, and to help alleviate the detrimental effects of working through the pandemic including aches and pains, stress and PTSD. Currently, over 1000 therapists have signed up to donate treatments.
Among them are Karen Hastings at Beauty 76, a therapist specialist with 20 years industry experience working in many 5-star salons and spas, including with high profile clients, celebrities and royalty. “The reason I felt compelled to donate free treatments to NHS workers is because I know first-hand how hard they’re working,” she says. “ I have family members and friends who are on the front line in the NHS. My sister in law tested positive for Covid-19 and has made a full recovery. I want to give something back, show my appreciation and support and say a heartfelt thank you.”
Professional organisations such as the Federation of Holistic Therapists and the General Council for Soft Tissue Therapies are also backing the campaign and helping Massage Warehouse spread the word.
Any therapists wishing to sign up to the campaign can find all the details in the box below, while any NHS workers looking to find a therapist in their local area can do so easily using the interactive map.
The campaign – which will start once the professional associations for massage and complementary therapies recommend it is safe to go back to work as therapists and last for 30 days from the date it starts - is yet another edifying example of Covid-19, the most significant civic emergency in most people’s living memory, bringing out the best in so many.