Workplace Health E Bulletin

March 2010 (click here)
June 2010 (click here)

Health for Work Advice line for Small Business

The adviceline will provide you with the expert support to help you:

• Get an employee back to work after long term sickness
• Manage the impact on your business when an employee takes time off work through ill health;
• Support an employee and benefit from their abilities if they are at work with health issues;
• Encourage and support an employee who is off work, yet wants to return and contribute to your business;
• Develop a working culture where illness is less likely to occur

Phone – 0800 077 88 44

The Workplace Wellbeing Tool
This tool has been designed to help employers improve the health and well-being of people in their organisation.  With the entry of some basic data the tool allows the user to calculate the cost of employee ill health, compare costs to those of similar businesses, evaluate and build bespoke business cases and access best practice from leaders in the field.  For more information please visit:  www.businesslink.gov.uk/wwt

Guidance for Employers on the ‘Fit Note’
The Statement of Fitness for Work, or 'fit note', is a new Medical Statement that GPs will issue from 6 April 2010. It replaces the old 'sick note' and aims to focus on what an employee may be able to do at work rather than what they cannot do. Guidance for employers and more information is available at www.mindfulemployer.net/news_events.html.

New Change for Life Employers Toolkit which was launched on Tuesday 23rd March 2010
www.nhs.uk/change4life/Pages/PartnerTools.aspx

Mindful Employer
A new dedicated phone number for MINDFUL EMPLOYER – 01392 677064
http://www.mindfulemployer.net/

'Physical Activity & Sport Offer'
For all businesses signed up to the new Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Healthy Workplace Award check out the new 'Physical Activity & Sport Offer' available to you. (click here)

NHS Staff Health & Well-being review - Dr Steve Boorman
Final Report Published
Please visit http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_108907.pdf

New NICE Guidance 'Mental Health at Work'

Web-links
http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/PH 22 QRG LR FINAL.pdf
http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/PH22Guidance.pdf

Presentation
(click here)

New Stress Tool Kit

As stress is now one of the leading causes of sickness absence across the UK it is important to recognise stress within ourselves and in colleagues before it gets too much!

A new free 'Stress Tool Kit' is now available for Loan from our Resource Library at the Health Promotion Service.  Please see attachment for further details on the content of the tool kit and how to loan this new tool kit out (click here).

Wednesday 4th November 2009 is National Stress Awareness Day -For more excellent information and very useful downloads please visit:
http://www.isma.org.uk/national-stress-awareness-day/downloads-products.html

NHS Health & Well-Being Review – Dr Steve Boorman
Interim Report Summary

There were over 200 responses to the call for evidence and over 11,000 responses to the staff perception research. 
The review highlights that the NHS loses over 10 million working days each year due to sickness absence alone.  It also highlights that many NHS workers are working when they feel unwell.  It shows for the first time clear links between workforce well-being and key measures such as patient satisfaction and Trust performance, and it also documents the impact that simple lifestyles issues such as smoking or lack of exercise have on the organisation. 
Example of a key finding: Reducing current levels of sickness absence across the NHS by a third, a challenging but realistic target would result in a gain of 3.4 million days a year, equivalent to 14,900 extra whole time equivalents staff and an annual direct cost saving of £555 million!
The report makes a number of recommendations to improve staff health and well-being and highlights the next steps that need to be taken to achieve this. 

Please find attached a copy of the report (click here).

BHF Health at work
The British Heart Foundation are delighted to launch their new Health at Work website to support health promoters in the workplace.
The website replaces the old Think fit! website, and has been redesigned with a new, fresh, vibrant look, easier navigation, lots of new content and exciting features.
The website contains up-to-date information on physical activity, healthy eating and mental wellbeing, plus lots of ideas, practical tools and downloads for the workplace health promoter to create a health club at work.
To get started you can:
·        Sign up to our Health at Work e-Newsletter
·        Order your Think fit! resources
·        Get inspired, enter a team and have fun by visiting our Events Calendar
·        See what other organisations are doing to promote Health at Work in our Success Stories

Take a tour of the exciting new features and if you would like more information or have any comments, please contact Lisa Purcell at healthatwork@bhf.org.uk

Results from South West Healthy Workplaces Audit Report undertaken by a regional coalition of the South West Strategic Health Authority, Department of Health South West, the Food Standards Agency and the Health and Safety Executive.  The audit report has now been published and is now available on the South West Public Health Observatory website (www.swpho.nhs.uk)

HSE has launched a new website to help businesses prevent stress in their workplace
Last year in Great Britain a total of 13.5 million days were lost to work related stress.  It is a major cause of occupational ill health resulting in sickness absence, high staff turnover and poor performance for organisations. 
The website includes updated advice and guidance, tools to help prevent stress at work, a self-assessment questionnaire for line managers, case studies and good, practical examples of things that have worked well for other organisations.  The new site includes revised stress Management Standards tools.  These help to highlight the components of good organisation, job design and management to keep stress levels in check and enhance productivity.
Peter Brown, Head of HSE's Health & Work Division said: 'Pressure is part and parcel of all work and helps to keep us motivated, but excessive pressure can lead to stress which undermines performance, is costly to employers and can make people ill'.  'In the current economic crisis, businesses are looking to save wherever possible and managing work-related stress effectively could represent some significant savings.'
Please visit: www.hse.gov.uk/stress and www.hse.gov.uk/tacklestress

The Governments Response to Dame Carol Black's Review of the Health of Britain's Working Age Population. 
Improving Health and work: Changing Lives - November 2008. 
PDF click here

Top Tips for Healthier Workplaces
Executive Summary September 2008. http://tinyurl.com/7hhzf6

Wellbeing & Work 
Future Challenges: Mental Capital & Wellbeing Project.  Foresight.  Government Office for Science.  September 2008.
PDF click here

A New Active Travel Workplace Toolkit available
For copies please email - activetravel@sustrans.org.uk

Dame Carol Black’s Review
Dame Carol Black has published her review of the health of Britain’s working age population. The review was commissioned by the Departments of Health and Work and Pensions. Working for a healthier tomorrow is available to download from www.workingforhealth.gov.uk/ and follow the link to Carol-Blacks-Review

National Men’s Health Week
National Men’s Health Week was organised by the Men's Health Forum and ran between 9 -15 June 2008. The key focus was men and health in the workplace. The aim to improve the health of men by encouraging them to take advantage of occupational health initiatives available in their workplaces and by helping employers strengthen and expand such initiatives.  Please visit: www.menshealthforum.org.uk

Men and Work Mini Haynes Manual
The Men’s Health Forum have produced a Men and Work Mini Haynes Manual covering topics such as: the role of men at work; healthier eating; getting active; back pain; coping with stress; stopping smoking; drinking sensibly; and, when health problems develop. Boxes of 100 can be ordered for £100 from the Men’s Health Forum website or by calling Matthew Maycock on 0870 145 3815.

Workplace Health Resources – ‘A Healthy Business ‘needs’ a Health Workforce’
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has a series of resources for employers interested in workplace health programmes.
The resources cover physical activity, healthy eating and mental wellbeing and include a range of ideas, challenges and signposts, as well as an employee booklet, great giveaway items and fun packaging. 

Think Fit Resources
Think Fit! (G283) – A guide to developing a workplace activity programme
Think Fit! Be Active! (G283h08) – A ‘how to do it’ guide for workplace physical activity initiatives.
Think Fit! Eat Well! (G399) – A guide to developing a healthy eating programme
Think Fit! Think Well! (G400) – A guide to developing a workplace mental wellbeing programme.

To order call: 0870 600 6566
               Email: orderline@bhf.org.uk
               Visit: bhf.org.uk/thinkfit
The BHF would welcome a suggested donation of £25 per pack.