Physical Health
The benefits of physical exercise and a balanced diet are well known, however it is still a challenge for many of us to ensure we get enough exercise and that we eat well.
We will continue to focus on promoting self-care and support to improve and maintain health. We will also provide rapid and recovery focussed occupational health services where staff experience physical health problems.
Self-care for Physical Health
We will renew our health and wellbeing information resources including a virtual health and wellbeing hub that will:
- Raise awareness and understanding of establishing and maintaining a healthy diet, including cooking healthy options.
- Provide information on different ways to start and maintain a regular exercise routine.
- Promote active travel through cycling and walking to work, including the cycle to work scheme and resources for walkers and cyclists such as route maps.
- Provide information on access to physical health facilities including staff benefits which enable discounted access to classes and facilities including the Centre for Health and Wellbeing.
- We will also continue to develop active travel and self-managed exercise through:
- Improving facilities for cycling to work such as showers, cycle racks and working with local authorities to improve cycling routes.
- Working with the local authority to improve walking routes.
- Developing the green space of the hospital to support physical exercise including walking, running and exploring the potential for an outdoor gym.
Support to Improve and Maintain Health
We will further develop the range of support available to staff who want to improve their physical health or
find ways of sustaining their physical exercise routine.
Further development of health assessments for staff based on ‘what matters to you’ approach to develop personal outcomes and ways to achieve them including sign-posting to exercise guides/resources and physical health facilities and classes.
- Spread access and uptake of fitness challenges provided by the Centre for Health and Wellbeing team including team fitness challenges to increase participation in supported exercise.
- Refresh our approach to supporting physical health clubs or groups such as staff walking and running groups and team based sports clubs such as football.
- Refresh the range of activities and classes available to staff through the Centre for Health and Wellbeing.
- Explore options for delivering physical and mental health exercise classes within the workplace and/or during working hours. This could include tai chi, mindfulness and low intensity exercise options as well as higher intensity breaktime sessions.
- We will also explore options for developing our support for improving and maintaining eating habits through:
- Weight loss programmes and classes.
- Cooking classes including ‘how to eat well for less’.
Occupational Health for Physical Health
There will be occasions where staff develop physical health problems and these may be short-lived or become long term conditions that we will support our staff with.
We will provide an occupational health service which is able to:
- Provide healthcare where appropriate through occupational health as rapidly as possible.
- Provide advice and guidance to staff on where to access support for their health condition, including from within Occupational Health and through local health services.
- Provide advice and guidance to staff on support available to enable them to become physically active again including returning to work.
- Support managers to work with staff to identify and agree support that may be required to enable staff to return to work.
