This case study describes an innovative approach taken by Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust to staff wellbeing. Mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) helps staff to feel calmer and better able to cope in stressful circumstances, with the potential to improve productivity and enhance the quality of patient care.
A nine-month Mindfulness pilot study was carried out by the Department of Health, in partnership with NHS North West, to help participants from Recovery (former drug/alcohol users), BME asylum seeker and carer communities, to become work prepared, through the use of Mindfulness training. Support was provided by co-attending key NHS/third sector workers. Mindfulness was shown to have a positive effect on the mental health and wellbeing of staff and clients alike and helped 50% of participants back into work.
Calderstones Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is fully committed to the health and wellbeing of its employees. As such it has devised an Engagement and Wellbeing strategy to communicate to staff the large number of initiatives available. This has led to a wide range of benefits for the Trust and staff alike. For example reduced sickness absence, improved engagement and better stress awareness.
St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is an acute hospital Trust employing around 7,000 staff, which includes 2,500 doctors in training under the Single Lead Employer contract for the Mersey Deanery. Following the review of the Occupational Health Service, the HR Advisory Service, the Attendance Management Policy and the role of the line manager in reducing sickness absence, the Trust has taken a holistic approach and reduced absence by over 1% in a 12 month period.
NHS Trafford, Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust and Trafford Council set out in 2010 to adopt a joined up approach to the wellbeing of their staff. Although early days this project has already been successful in delivering so much more for staff by working together than would ever have been achieved by a single organisation.
Cheshire HR Service set out to increase HR efficiency and to maximise resources on behalf of its NHS partner organisations. It also recognised the value of adopting a common strategy and approach to improve the health and wellbeing of staff across Cheshire. This case study looks at the development and delivery of a staff Health and Wellbeing Strategy for customer organisations within an HR shared service organisation.
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust has been focusing upon fostering staff engagement in order to improve staff health and wellbeing.It has achieved this through a range of methods including an annual staff gala event which recognises the talents of staff and makes them feel valued, as well as focus groups and events such as fun days designed to lift people’s spirits. Integrated events have created the sense that the Trust is one big family, rather than lots of individual units, and has allowed staff to gain insights into what happens in other departments.
It is vital to develop and implement an evidence-based staff health and well-being improvement plan to meet your organisation’sneeds.To improve and protect the health of your staff, maximising the benefits of a healthy workforce to your organisation, you need to define your priorities and identify where you should target health and well-being action. Completing a needs assessment for your organisation will provide a baseline to measure the impact of the strategy you develop. Three initial steps are outlined to guide you in sourcing your baseline data.More in the series:
The Walton Centre has been implementing a Health and Well Being (H&WB) Strategy called ‘Work Well: The Walton Way’ since March 2011. This has proved very successful due to the involvement of staff and unions, and has led to significant cost savings due to a reduction in sickness absence and agency spend.
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust has undertaken a staff engagement strategy, supported by the development of the Bolton Improving Care System (BICS) and lean processes, as well as by a comprehensive leadership development programme.Throughout its journey the Trust has had to demonstrate its ability to respond flexibly and positively in an ever-changing NHS landscape where major NHS reform are creating new economic environments, workforce and service uncertainties.