lles staff employee wellbeing - nphs.wales.nhs.uk
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Lles Staff Employee Wellbeing
Get in touch: [email protected]
Amser i Symud/Time to Move
September 2018 - EmployeeWellbeing Newsletter
This month's edition includes Timeto Move, Couch to 5K, WellbeingGrants and much more!
Public Health Wales passed the Silver Corporate Health
Assessment with flying colours in July! The asssessors told us
employee wellbeing feels more integrated and on the road to
becoming part of our culture.
In the headlines...
Following the June launch of the pilot for Time to Move, around 800 staff have signed up to the initiative. Many of you are sharing your stories and pictures of how you're using your time on thePHW Staff Facebook and Twitter using #ICCAmseriSymud or#PHWTimetoMove. Examples include active travel to work, walks withcolleagues during the day, yoga classes, early morning/evening runs andmuch more. If you have signed up to take part, remember to use your timeeach week as it cannot be carried over. We'd love to hear from you about how you're using the time to movemore in your working week.
Coming soon...
Wellbeing Questionnaire We recently ran a Wellbeing Questionnaire to identify key themes to inform
our ongoing work programme. Our aim was to capture your views, thoughts
and ideas in order to make positive changes.
We are still evaluating the results so we can plan actions to effect positive
changes but will be able to share some findings in the near future. There
was an opportunity to enter a draw to win one of 10 fitbits on completion of
the questionnaire; here are some photos of the draw and our 10 lucky
winners! Congratulations!
Catherine Floyd
Rhiannon Ayres
Joanne Walton
Susan Anderson and Tracey Cooper doing the big prize draw
Helen Whittaker and colleagues Michelle Perna
Couch to 5k - Helen Jessop, CQ2 group leader Over the hot summer months a number of staff from different offices across
Wales embarked upon the ‘Couch to 5K’ challenge set in the June
newsletter. Groups have been running from Cardiff’s Breast Test Wales
office, Newbridge, Capital Quarter 2 and Preswylfa.
‘Couch to 5K’ is a nine week running programme for beginners and is
especially tailored for people who have no experience of running.
Helen says “I was delighted that the challenge sparked so much interest
from a range of staff in different locations across Wales. People who
perhaps wouldn’t have imagined putting on a pair of trainers and going for a
run were inspired to do so. For staff who enquired from different offices, I
provided the plan and encouraged them to find others who would be
interested in taking part. In CQ2, five members of staff joined the group, we
met at the beginning of the week for a group session and then the
members repeated the session during the week. We set up our own ‘Whats
App’ group which was a great way of keeping in touch, monitoring progress
and helping to keep each other motivated.
“At the beginning of September, the group completed the nine week
programme and took part in their first 5Km Parkrun. This was a huge
achievement for everyone involved. Now the programme is complete the
group still meets regularly for training sessions and they’re attending
Parkrun weekly. I have been amazed by their
commitment, motivation and the results they’ve
achieved.
Email any ideas to: [email protected]
Email any ideas to: [email protected]
“Other groups across Wales are all nearing the end of the programme too so Iam looking forward to hearing their progress.” Those who have finished the programme have been asked to complete anevaluation form which has shown far reaching benefits. All of the runnershave reported feeling fitter, stronger, having more energy and sleepingbetter. A really important part of the programme has also been making newfriends which has really helped for that on-going peer support and overallwellbeing. Helen Steward, who has taken part in the programme shares her experience: “The reason I wanted to do couch to 5k was to see if I could improve myasthma and to do exercise as part of a team. I’ve been very lucky as I have made friends who support each other and ofcourse I have Simon at home, so I get to do 3 sessions a week and it doesn’tfeel too much like a chore. I have had a few ups and downs, but the fact that at the beginning I couldn’trun for 1 minute and now I can do 30 minutes and a 5k in just under 41minutes, I am really pleased with the progress that I have made. My peak flow has improved, I don’t need to take my inhaler as much and Ihave noticed that when I do an early morning session I am fit for the day. Myhead is clear and I sleep much better than before. The best thing is that we still meet for a session with work at least once aweek and I still fit in 3 sessions of activity every week. I did hope that I would lose some weight too and I have lost over a stone, butthe motivation to get faster times are now motivating me with healthier eatingtoo.”
Email any ideas to: [email protected]
Hints and tips for your own group Here are some hints and tips before you get started!
• If you have any health concerns make sure that you visit your GP before
starting the exercise programme
• Make sure that you have a good pair of comfortable running shoes
• Help keep each other motivated, you can do this by setting up your own‘group chat’, downloading a training app such as Strava, or putting up a wall
chart to monitor progress
• Set yourself a goal for the end of the programme like completing a 5KmParkrun or enter an organised charity run
• Remember the programme is designed for ‘non-runners’ so there is no need
to worry that you are too slow or the ‘wrong’ shape for running. Theprogramme is for everyone!
(left) Helen and the CQ2runners
Aneurin Bevan Gwent Public Health Team runners (right)
Mental Health Training with Mind Cymru
At the start of spring, PHW collaborated with
mental health charity Mind Cymru to deliver a
series of training courses aimed at improving
mental health awareness and understanding.
Courses included Managing Mental Health at Work, Mental Health
Awareness and Emotional Intelligence and Resilience. We're pleased to
confirm that we'll be working with Mind Cymru again to deliver these training
topics, again across three Welsh locations. Our aim is to offer courses from
late autumn, which we will publicise widely.
Mindfulness Training We have delivered an 8-week mindfulness programme in Conwy and will be
providing this programme in the Cardiff and Swansea areas later on in
Autumn. We will publicise when we have dates but if you would like to
register your interest, please contact:
Wellbeing Grants We're pleased to announce the launch of our pilot initiative of a small grant(up to £50 per team) to support projects that aim to improve employeewellbeing. Anyone can apply for the grant, but it should be made in consultation withother people in your team so that the application is made on their behalf. Completed appications must be emailed by 31st October 2018 [email protected]. Youll be notified of theoutcome by 30th November 2018. Go to http://howis.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/888/page/74390 to find outmore details and how to apply.
Email any ideas to: [email protected]
Pride Cymru
Email any ideas to: [email protected]
The Pride celebration offers Public Health Wales a unique opportunity topromote our services and increase our visibility within the LGBT+community. The Public Health Wales team handed out thousands of flags,stickers, water bottles and stacks of leaflets! Public Health Wales’ Tracey Cooper, Jan Williams and Sian Bolton spent allday Saturday at the Public Health Wales stall to join in the celebration. Pride Cymru, which has been running since 1999, is a celebration ofdiversity in Wales which works to promote the elimination of all forms ofdiscrimination. The event also seeks to increase understanding of theLGBT+ community and promote respect for all in Wales. Over the past 19years Pride Cymru has become one of the largest Pride events in the UK. Public Health Wales is proud to be taking part in the Stonewall WorkplaceEquality Index, a national benchmarking exercise. The index examines allaspects of our performance as an inclusive employer. As part of theexericse, there's a quick survey, which is open to all staff - to take part,search the intranet for Pride Cymru.
This year, for the first time everat Pride Cymru, Public HealthWales had a stand. Staff wereon hand throughout the daywhere we had informationabout Help me Quit, Screeningservices and vaccinationprogrammes to help promotethese services to the LGBT+community.
What's coming up...
Email any ideas to: [email protected]
The route of the Half Marathon will see therunners come down Tyndall Street and pastCQ2, which is just over the mid-way point of thecourse. We're looking for volunteers from 10am to 1pmto put up some banners and make some noiseso contact [email protected] if you'reinterested. Louise says: "I will take to the startline of the Cardiff Half Marathon along withthousands of others and colleagues from PHW. Everyone will have different reasons for signing
Anthony Priest, from the Healthy WorkingWales team, will be taking part in this event on11th-14th October. He and his brother, Nathan,will be covering a total of 282 miles, over 4days, over 12 plus hours each day. The event will involve triathlons, the Welsh 3Peaks Challenge, weight loaded hikes and a224 mile cycle ride! If you'd like to sponsor Anthony, email him on: [email protected]
Cardiff Half Marathon Sunday 7th October
up and taking part. For me, it’s simply that I love to run! It’s a cheap hobby,you get plenty of fresh air and nothing beats that feeling when you’vefinished a run.The support of spectators always provides a huge boost so ifpeople can come out to watch on the day, your cheers (and Jelly Babies) willbe most welcome. Good luck to all the runners!!!"
Louise in action!
Anthony (right) and his brother
Raising money for Mind with the 1 in 4 ChallengeWales 2018
What's coming up...
Email any ideas to: [email protected]
The CQ2 charity committee will be holding a bake sale and raffle on the 9thOctober, 11-12 noon on the 6th floor canteen (CQ2) to celebrate World MentalHealth Day (10th October). In addition to this, they want to encourage peopleto bring “tea” and “talk” to them so you can talk about mental health or howyou're feeling with them. Whether you need a private conversation or arehappy to speak openly, they're there to listen. They would like to see as many faces as possible and even if you don't fancya slice of cake, pop along for a chat! In addition, all of the money raised willbe donated to the World Mental Health Organisation. Theywould like to raise awareness of mental health, and, as the World MentalHealth Organisation states, good mental health is fundamental to thriving inlife. It is the essence of who we are and how we experience the world. Yet,compared to physical health, so little is commonly known about mental illhealth and how to prevent it. That must change."
Tea and Talk for WorldMental Health Day
Got an event coming up?
If you'd like us to feature what you're doing for your wellbeing in yourteam/base in our next quarterly newsletter, please email us to let us know.
The next newsletter will be published in December so it would be good to
hear from you in November.
WELLBEING LINKS How you can get involved...
Email any ideas to: [email protected]
The Employee Wellbeing Group are building a network of willing individualsfrom across the organisation to join us as WELLBEING LINKS to helppromote the health and wellbeing of our colleagues. We are aiming to have at least one Wellbeing Link in each team/base. What does a Wellbeing Link do? Disseminate messages from the Employee Wellbeing Group tocolleagues in your team/base:
Circulate e-mails from the GroupPromote health and wellbeing events and campaigns organised by theGroup, for example put up posters, distribute resourcesProvide feedback from your colleagues on how these campaigns havebeen received in your team, including participation rates
Act as a link between your team/base and the Employee WellbeingGroup:
Speak with colleagues about what would help them improve their healthand wellbeing, and feedback to the GroupWe are aware that lots of initiatives are going on in teams/bases anyway,such as sponsored walks. We’d like the Wellbeing Link to share with usany information on local initiatives that have helped promote health andwellbeing.
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Here’s a reminder of the things we have in place, many of which have been suggestedand co-produced by staff - please let us know if you have any other ideas of other thingswe can put in place: • Flexible working toolkit - This has been put together following co-production withstaff, managers and TU colleagues, in order to promote the individual and organisationalbenefits of flexible working. • Annual leave purchase scheme - This runs bi-annually, allowing people to accessextra annual leave to suit them. Next application closing date is xxx • Cyclescheme - All staff are eligible to purchase a cycle through a salary sacrificescheme if they have a permanent contract or a contract exceeding 12 months. • Holiday subsidy scheme - This initiative aims to help staff with children with thefinancial burden of organising and paying for childcare during the school holidays. Itcurrently runs during Easter and Summer holiday periods. • Yoga sessions for staff in CQ2 - Sessions run weekly, delivered by qualified staffmembers – we’re happy to signpost you to information if you’re keen to establishsessions where you work. •Charity & Social groups - This committee coordinates nomination of charities andsupports individual fundraising events, and also arranges social gatherings for staff. Elizabeth Hall can provide further information on how to establish one where you work.
Email any ideas to: [email protected]