Contact:
Business Health Network
Admin Block
Mount Gould Hospital
Plymouth
PL4 7QD
Tel: 01752 272465
Email: suemcadie@nhs.net
lynnstewart2@nhs.net
Network Co-ordinator - Susan McAdie
Network Advisor - Lynn Stewart
The Business Health Network
The Business Health Network was set up in 1995 to work directly with employers and organisations in an around Plymouth. One of the many challenges facing the NHS and employers alike is the rising cost of ill health. This costs can be measured in different ways, such as the number of working days lost, decreased performance levels, the cost of medical care and the impact on family life. 175 million working days were lost in 2006 costing about £650 per employee. But the human cost is worse. Without the right support people can slip onto a life of benefits and lose contact with the labour market. People that work are healthy, wealthier, and live longer than the unemployed. The benefits to the individual are clear, but the employers also have much to gain.
Ill health takes many forms, most of which directly affect the individual, the employer and the health service providers. There are steps an employer can take to improve health and well-being at work which will increase employee satisfaction with the work environment, and encourage healthy attitudes to diet, exercise and life style issues such as smoking and stress. In the UK, only 3% of employers offer a comprehensive provision of occupational health or related support services. Research has shown that whilst companies recognise the bottom line benefits of a healthy workforce creating a strategy is a major challenge.
The Business Health Network offers:
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Recognition of an employer's committment to health and well-being at work through the Health @ Work Awards
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Practical help and support to implement policies and initiatives at work to improve health and well-being of the workplace
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Information about other organisations and policies to support the work of an employer
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Information about local health services to inform employees and their families.
Your workforce is your most precious asset, so it makes sense to take the best care of them, not just to comply with legislation, but also to inspire greater commitment, efficiency and productivity:
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Workforce well-being programmes can generate a return investment of nearly 400% for employers
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A conservative estimate of business benefits after staff have undergone a health programme is £3.73 for every £1 spent by the employer.
Purpose of the Health @ Work award
The purpose of the Health @ Work award is to help workplaces implement healthy living policies and schemes. There is focus within the award on the four common preventable risk factors for chronic disease: tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy eating and stress. We know that making positive lifestyle changes can prevent many of these diseases.
Being healthy means getting the most out of your life. The Health @ Work award recognises businesses that demonstrate a commitment to employees health by promoting and supporting healthy lifestyles for employees and their families.
Why participate?
Implementing all or part of this award within the workplace has many benefits to the individual, co-workers and your organisation. Providing these initiatives will not solve all health issues but they have been seen to improve employee relations, improve health and wellness, reduce absenteeism and retain employees.
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Employer benefits
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Employee benefits
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Decreased absenteeism
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Reduced stress
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Reduced costs of health insurance schemes
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Increased energy
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Increased productivity
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Improved overall health
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Better recruitment
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Reduced illness and risk of injury
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Reduced employee turnover
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Healthier families
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Improved corporate image
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Improved morale
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The awards
These awards are assessed throughout the year and awarded to a business on an annual basis. Assessment through an interview format with a worker from the Business Health Network who can help monitor and implement healthy changes within your workplace.
Each element of the award has separate aims that contribute towards the scoring of the award level. As a workforce you may choose to concentrate on one element this year with a view to focussing on another the next year, or you may choose to look at all the elements and provide a good grounding in each for future work. Your workplace may already be achieving a high standard in some elements and need only to prioritise initiatives in lower standard elements.
An important factor of this award is that it is tailored to your workplace and your colleagues. You can choose the level at which you wish to participate and when you start to reap the benefits of healthy living promotion you can commence other initiatives focussed on other elements of the award.
Awards and criteria:
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Bronze: 250 points achieved over the Health @ Work elements
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Silver: 350 points achieved over the Health @ Work elements
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Gold: 470 points achieved over the Health @ Work elements
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Platinum: 590 points achieved over the Health @ Work elements.
Award categories:
The Health @ Work awards come under the following categories: (for more information on each category click on its name to be taken to a separate link)
Role of the NHS and the Public Health Development Unit
The Business Health Network is part of Plymouth PCT's Public Health Development Unit (PHDU). The PHDU is responsible for protecting and promoting the health of everyone living and working in Plymouth. The health problems that we face include mental health issues, coronary heart disease, cancers, strokes and related conditions; all of which remain the biggest killers and cause more illness and disability than any other diseases. Although rates of these diseases have declined locally in recent years, there is still work to be done.
In recent research, comprehensive workplace health promotion often refers to efforts designed to assist employees, and sometimes their families, in making voluntary lifestyle changes, such as increasing their physical activity or quitting smoking. This can mean a range of lifestyle issues are being addressed, or it can mean that a variety of strategies are being used to address any given lifestyle issue. When considering a range of workplace approaches, it is also important to bear in mind the following health promotion strategies:
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Raising awareness: Provide information about the benefits of making healthier choices
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Education/skill building: Help to educate and develop the necessary skills to support a healthy choice
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Environmental support: Create supportive physical or cultural workplace environments that strengthen and enhance healthy practices.
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Policy support: Develop policies to further enhance and sustain healthy practices.