Alan is a Porter in a very busy hospital and has worked in the NHS for over 30 years. He is married and has three grown-up children and also is a Grandad to four. Home life is stable and happy. It is important to Alan to provide for his family and he is extremely proud of working for the NHS.
Following an altercation with a colleague in the workplace that escalated quickly, Alan has been off work with stress, anger and depression. Over the years he has suffered from his Mental Health but has had no formal diagnosis. Alan was referred to Case UK and the Able Futures Programme through the Occupational Health Provision during a sickness review meeting with his manager.
In the first meeting he had with his VRC (Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant), he was able to open up about his suicidal thoughts without fear of being judged or ridiculed. Case UK's Safeguarding policy was implemented immediately. A bespoke plan was agreed upon with the local mental health crisis team to provide help and support to Alan.
The VRC also encouraged Alan to seek support from his GP, which he did, and he was prescribed medication, which has helped him tremendously.
Throughout his time on the programme, Alan also revealed that he was drowning in debt and sometimes couldn’t afford to eat. Alan was provided with additional support and advice and is now in a debt recovery management programme.
Case UK also provided him with a number of food hampers through their participant hardship fund. 9 months later and Alan is back in work having worked through the conflict with mediation and support from Case UK's HR Professional and he continues to implement daily mindfulness meditations as part of his coping strategies to enable him to manage his Mental Health Condition.
Case-UK’s VRC supported Alan by:
Accessing other services and local interventions through a collaborative approach with other agencies.
Support on managing his depression and anger by accessing bespoke information, advice and support to implement strategies that enable him to cope on dark days.
Mediation with the HR team to deal with the conflict in the workplace, rebuild trust and ensure that Alan's return to work was supported by all parties.
Alan is managing his health and well-being every day. The medication is part of his recovery programme and he utilises a range of coping strategies that were introduced by the Able Futures Programme. Working relationships have improved and Alan has shared his mental health struggles with his teammates and peers and signposts anyone struggling to Case UK and the Able Futures Programme.
When I was referred to Able Futures, all hope was lost, I am now back at work with a spring in my step and a smile. Thanks
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