Publish date: 22 July 2024
NHS trust’s commitment to staff health and wellbeing wins international award
A North East NHS trust’s project to provide sessions supporting the physical, mental and financial wellbeing of staff has been celebrated with an international award.
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust won a silver award at the International CSR Awards in London earlier this month for its Wellbeing 23 project that took place across 2023.
For this project, the trust worked with Northumberland Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) to provide a range of activities at no cost for staff.
Sessions were sourced from local charities and organisations covering different topics covering mental, physical and financial wellbeing. These were chosen based on feedback from the trust’s staff networks.
Across the year, almost 500 members of staff took part in activities as varied as wreath making, local history, gong bathing, financial wellbeing clinics, surfing, boxing, beauty therapy, arts and crafts, and walking groups.
One organisation which provided multiple sessions was BoxingWell. Located in Blyth, this charity boxing gym aims to improve mental health through non-contact boxing training. The funding supported not just the staff sessions, but wider community sessions which are free and open to all.
One member of staff who took part described how the sessions boosted their confidence, adding ‘I come away feeling energetic and impowered’, while another felt that it really added to feeling part of a team.
Financial wellbeing was another key strand, with LegaCare, an independent charity based in Cramlington, contracted to provide a financial wellbeing advice line for Northumbria staff.
The advice was free and confidential, and covered areas such as debt management, matrimonial/relationship issues, support for anyone with caring responsibilities, accessing benefits, mortgage/property/housing concerns, and planning with insurance/pension/wills.
Jill Harland, consultant in public health who heads the trust’s public health programme, said: “At Northumbria Healthcare, we have a relentless focus on people, both our patients and the communities we serve, but also our staff. Not only are they part of our communities, we also know that best patient care can only be provided when we have a healthy and engaged workforce.
“We have a well-established and ongoing commitment to staff wellbeing, but it is fantastic that this project has been recognised with this award.”
The trust has previously won other International CSR Awards for its projects, including the Northumbria Manufacturing and Innovation Hub, the mini scrubs project to engage young people in health and care careers, and sustainability work.
Northumbria Healthcare’s commitment to the wider impact and benefits it can deliver is formalised in Our Community Promise, which was launched in 2021. This is the trust’s pledge to focus on all the ways it can improve people’s lives, focusing on five key pillars - employment, education, economy, environment and inequalities.
Media contact
Ben O’Connell, external communications manager, Northumbria Healthcare
Benjamin.O'Connell@northumbria-healthcare.nhs.uk or