Out in the Field - Retreats for Frontline Workers

Dear everyone, 

Thank you so much for your support with Out in the Field our crowdfunder campaign. Very excited to say we have raised £13,134!! 

On Friday 9th July we went straight on to run an NHS weekend retreat, and to give you an idea of the impact your support has had, I wanted to share some of the feedback from that programme with you. See below. 

In terms of next steps - we have had so much demand from NHS workers for our two-day retreat programmes this summer that we now have a waiting list. To meet this demand we have begun co-ordinating a series of one-day retreats and are developing partnerships to run further two-day retreats. 

By using the funds raised through the crowdfunder to run pilot programmes with teams, hospitals and NHS networks, our long-term strategy is to demonstrate the beneficial impact of these programmes and build longer term partnerships so that we can extend our reach and work with those most in need. 

We are already working with one of the largest London hospitals on a partnership throughout 2021-2022. The money raised through the crowdfunder will contribute to a pilot, which will then support our application for additional funding from within their NHS Trust. 

We would very much like to keep you updated on the project. If you are on Instagram you can follow us on @outinthefieldnhs and we will put news and feedback from the retreats on the Out in the Field page on the Quadrangle website. 

Thank you again for your generous donations and thanks to the amazing team who supported the campaign. 

Best,  

Jessie  

The Out in the Field Team

Janice Carrie & Chris Baker at Common Ground⁠, Photographer and NHS worker Glenn Dene , Jen Morgan, Liz Murphy, Roberta O’Callaghan, Eve Annecke, Jo-Anne Nighy, Marion Rolling, Andy Somerville, Rachel Fenn, Miriam Saltmarshe, Jon Ottley, Matt Murphy, Deborah Wolton, Angela Corden, Kay Fox, Callum Teggin, Claire Watson and Sam Rowe at Honeybells

"The retreat was massively significant for me in my journey to work through my trauma associated to my experience working through COVID. The opportunity to share my innermost thoughts and feelings about what I had experienced and how it made me feel has really relieved me of a burden I was carrying with me. I am unbelievably grateful for the opportunity and for the deep kindness and empathy demonstrated by the retreat facilitators.

I think these retreats should be provided for all NHS staff. I strongly believe that nature retreats are the best way to slow down our stressed, overworked minds and bodies, to get us to release some of our held trauma and to realise how we can cope better in our day to day lives. I think these retreats are the most effective thing that can be done to tackle the retention crisis and keep staff in their jobs. We want to dedicate our lives to caring for others, but we need care too.”

Dr Emily Mills: paediatric doctor who was redeployed to COVID ICU during the first lockdown, and then worked with children with COVID at Great Ormond Street in the second lockdown. 

“This was an incredible opportunity to take time out and focus on my inner being. The retreat was much more than the opportunity to just relax it was extremely thought provoking and insightful and provided important lessons to improve my own wellbeing.  

It is an excellent way of actually building true resilience and improving our mental health and wellbeing in these challenging times. I would urge every member of the NHS workforce to take this type of course.”

Dr Chet Trivedy, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Brighton and Sussex University Hospital, NHS Trust