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PurposeThe health and well-being of healthcare staff came into focus during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as already strained workforces responded to new and additional challenges. Organisational support services made efforts to adapt staff support provision. However, most literature and recommendations are centred on surveys of medical and clinical staff. The present study included staff across clinical and non-clinical workforces within a mental health trust over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic to date, and aimed to understand workforces' access to and experiences of organisational support.Design/methodology/approachThe current study was a qualitative one using convenience and purposive sampling. Semi-structured individual and group interviews were conducted using a topic guide. Reflexive thematic analysis was used in a phenomenological framework to analyse data.Findings35 staff, broadly representative of the trust workforce, were recruited. Six global themes summarised the experiences of staff in relation to work practices, personal well-being and support access over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: COVID-19 disease, interpersonal relationships, individual considerations, change, working environment and support.Practical implicationsThe findings from the study have implications for organisational support provisions for healthcare workers and the dissemination of these services.Originality/valueAcknowledging the multi-various experiences of different workforces within National Healthcare Service organisations and how these change over time will facilitate innovative changes to staff support provision.

Summary Climate change is already having unequal effects on the mental health of individuals and communities and will increasingly compound pre-existing mental health inequalities globally. Psychiatrists have a vital part to play in improving both awareness and scientific understanding of structural mechanisms that perpetuate these inequalities, and in responding to global calls for action to promote climate justice and resilience, which are central foundations for good mental and physical health.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the impact work can have on healthcare workers and the importance of staff support services. Rapid guidance was published to encourage preventive and responsive support for healthcare workers. Aims To understand mental healthcare staff's help-seeking behaviours and access to support at work in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to inform iterative improvements to provision of staff support. Method We conducted a formative appraisal of access to support and support needs of staff in a National Health Service mental health trust. This involved 11 semi-structured individual interviews using a topic guide. Five virtual staff forums were additional sources of data. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify key themes. Results Peer-based, within-team support was highly valued and sought after. However, access to support was negatively affected by work pressures, physical distancing and perceived cultural barriers. Conclusions Healthcare organisations need to help colleagues to support each other by facilitating open, diverse workplace cultures and providing easily accessible, safe and reflective spaces. Future research should evaluate support in the evolving work contexts imposed by COVID-19 to inform interventions that account for differences across healthcare workforces.

L-Ascorbic acid is an important antioxidant in both animals and plants. Monodehydroascorbate reductase is an enzyme involved in regulating the L-ascorbic acid level in plants. Here, we report the cloning of the reductase gene from non-heading Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp. chinensis Makino) and negative regulation of L-ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbate levels in transgenic tobacco plants expressing the gene under the control of the 35S promoter. The transgenic plants had reduced growth. The transgenic plants had changed the expression of the genes in the D-mannose/Lgalactose pathway, degradation and recycling pathway and the activity of enzymes involved in degradation (ascorbate oxidase and ascorbate peroxidase) or recycling of ascorbic acid (dehydroascorbate reductase and glutathione reductase).