A Newham therapy service is providing mental health support for people quarantined in the borough after arriving from countries on the government’s travel ban list.

UK nationals and people with residence rights are allowed return to England if they have travelled from or through any of the 33 “red list” countries, but must quarantine in a government-approved hotel for 10 days on arrival.

London City Airport (LCA) in the Royal Docks is one of the airports where these passengers are allowed to enter the country under the rules, which aim to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) is providing mental health support to people isolated in hotel quarantine through Newham Talking Therapies, which is available to everyone in the borough.

The service offers a range of online sessions and workshops on mindfulness, sleep hygiene, worry management, managing irritability and many other topics.

A specific quarantine wellbeing workshop has been developed to support hotel guests to pace themselves and cope with the imposed isolation.

Community engagement lead for the service Yasmin Long said: "Ten days is a long time to be on your own or in close proximity to another person without a break.

“Everyone is different. We want to help them to develop strategies to manage this time and do what they need to do to be able to cope and stay on top.

“We can also monitor if someone is particularly vulnerable or moving towards a mental health crisis, to step in at an early stage."

The hotel will add relevant information to welcome packs for guests. It also has a wellbeing page accessible on TVs in all rooms with a link or QR code that allows guests to register for a session.

The team is also liaising with LCA about supporting its staff.

During the pandemic and current lockdown, Newham Talking Therapies has been providing online sessions, workshops and videos to help people process what’s happening, develop new strategies to manage how they feel and find ways to keep their mood steady.

Visit www.newhamtalkingtherapies.nhs.uk/ for more information.

People can refer themselves to the service using an online form via that website or by calling 020 8475 8080.