The service received the Silver Standard in the Better Health at Work Awards, which is open to all employers in the North East and Cumbria.
They got involved in health and wellbeing initiatives, including the ‘step count challenge’, which not only helped increase their movement, but also connected staff who were home working and missing that social connection. The week-long challenge saw the step counts come flooding in, with lots of colleagues reporting benefits including weight loss, reduced alcohol intake, and most wanted to continue after the challenge ended.
One member of the team, said: “I joined in on the step count challenge and was very quiet about how many steps I had done, however straight away I started to feel better in myself, my sleep had improved, and I had more energy.”
There was also a hydration challenge to raise awareness of how much water staff were drinking and how it impacts your emotional and physical wellbeing, with a team member adding: “I have been with the service two years, and the hydration challenge was the first time I had met some of my colleagues face to face. It was very emotional.”
The teams also took part in the Macmillan Coffee Morning, which saw them connect over coffee and cake and raise £50 for the charity, and they were encouraged to take part in the walk/cycle to work challenge, to reduce pollution.
Colleagues took part in lots of healthy initiatives, including ‘Menopause and Me’ awareness, ‘Coffee, Chat & Catch Up’, held team quizzes and celebrated World Mental Health Day.
The service is now going for their Gold Standard Award and will be setting up new campaigns to encourage healthy lifestyles and wellbeing amongst staff, and improve morale in the workplace.
