Setting up a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Staff Listening Service at an Acute University Teaching Hospital

This paper is written to describe the establishment and ongoing sustaining of a chaplaincy-led peer-to-peer (P2P) listening service in an acute National Health Service (NHS) Trust in the United Kingdom, which was implemented as a service improvement. It considers the value of compassionate listening within the context of loneliness evidenced in the general population and the documented occupational burden of working in the health service. It reflects on how a peer listening service has been developed and shaped by the role and values of chaplaincy and spiritual care, and delivered by a range of healthcare disciplines and roles. This service has had 6,771 contacts with staff, with 34% being primarily work-related. Recommendations are made for a dedicated team to lead a new service such as this and the positive impact of peer-to-peer listening for healthcare staff wellbeing.