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Making sure you are working to your full potential so we can provide the highest quality safe and effective patient-centred care
We know that the health and wellbeing of our staff (both physical and mental) has a direct impact on clinical outcomes and the experiences of our patients, their carers and families.
That’s why we provide an all-round package of support for our staff, helping them to look after their own health and to support those around them.
We are creating a supportive, self-help approach which encourages staff to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing. In return, we will work with you to ensure we identify and minimise anything that could harm your emotional and physical health. We will also ensure managers have the key skills, knowledge and ability to support their teams.
On top of the core occupational health services, we have a number of innovative ways to support our staff, including:
In-house counselling
Mental Health First Aid and mindfulness courses
Training for staff and managers is emotional and wellbeing resilience
Health check MoTs where we measure body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and glucose levels and offer a lifestyle risk assessment
An overall health and wellbeing assessment
Physiotherapy
Counselling training for managers
Cognitive behavioural therapy training for managers.
The Occupational Health Counselling Service is free, confidential and available to all our staff.
This dynamic and responsive service gives you a chance to talk in a supportive and neutral environment about things that concern you and to explore different ways to resolve or manage the situation.
You can self-refer to our services. For more information or to book a session e-mail [email protected] or call 01522 573597
Please be prepared to provide your name, date of birth and contact number, so that a counsellor can contact you to triage your referral. As soon as an appointment is available at your chosen location, an administrator will contact you.
We offer mindfulness courses to help you develop resilience and the ability to perform more effectively.
Mindfulness is a practice not a knowledge-enhancing exercise. The practice and techniques help us to be more aware of what we are feeling and how we are interacting with others.
They bring both professional and personal benefits by:
Enhancing focus and attention
Increasing self-awareness and the awareness of others
Improving your ability to handle stressful situations
Greater cognitive effectiveness and capacity for decision making
Enhancing sense of purpose
Increasing creativity.
We offer two courses:
A two-hours-a-week course that runs for six weeks
A day course which runs for three-and-a-half hours.
To find out dates for the next course, email: [email protected] or call 01522 573597.
Stress, anxiety and depression are the biggest causes of sickness absence in society, and to provide the best and most effective care for patients we want to create a work environment that supports staff and helps them maintain their mental health.
This two-day course teaches you to spot the signs that someone may be experiencing mental health issues and to give you the confidence to provide initial assistance, by listening, reassuring and responding.
Our Metal Health First Aiders have with the following skills:
An in-depth understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect wellbeing
Practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues
Confidence to step in, reassure and support a person in distress
Enhanced interpersonal skills, such as non-judgemental listening
Knowledge to help someone recover their health by guiding them to further support.
To find out the dates for the next course, e-mail: [email protected] or call 01522 573597.
An opportunity to have your body mass index (BMI) blood pressure and glucose levels checked, alongside a complete lifestyle risk assessment, and advice session. We host weekly clinics and have 1,000 appointments available every year.
To find out more ULHT staff should contact Occupational Health to book a slot. E-mail [email protected] or call: 01522 573597
Effective communication with our patients and the people we work with is a critical part of providing safe and effective patient-centred care.
This is why we run courses to provide an introduction to counselling skills and are also considering a request by our consultant doctors to design a bespoke course for medics.
The Counselling and Psychotherapy Awarding Body Level 2 Introduction to Counselling Skills is a six-day course to help you to find out more about counselling. It won’t make you a counsellor, but it will give you an insight.
No previous training or experience is required but you must be Band 5 or above, and have authorisation from your manager.
To apply for this course ULHT staff should complete the course application questionnaire (internal intranet link only).
The Trust works with Specsavers Opticians to provide free eyesight tests for display screen users.
If you use digital screen equipment you should qualify but, to be sure, please complete the self-assessment checklist on the staff intranet.
If you qualify, complete an eye test referral form, get your manager to sign it and you will receive an electronic voucher to have a free eye test at Specsavers.
If you need glasses specifically for screen use, then you will be able to select a pair of glasses from the £45 range at Specsavers, free of charge.
If you need safety glasses for work, you will receive a voucher from Specsavers entitling you to one pair of safety glasses, fitted with Pentax CR39 single vision lenses. The glasses will conform to EN166 specifications.
The safety glasses come with prescription lenses, and are similar in appearance to prescription glasses, but may incorporate optional side shields to give lateral protection to the eyes.
All our staff are eligible for a flu vaccination.
As well as protecting our patients, it will help prevent the spread of the virus among our staff. This mean we are better-placed to tackle rising demand during the busy winter period.
We hold flu clinics at all our sites during the winter and we are proud to say that in 2017-2018 more than 80% of our frontline staff received the vaccine. We also have trained peer-to-peer vaccinators touring the trust to make having the jab more convenient and to answer any questions about the vaccine.
As well as being the right thing to do for our patients, the Nursing and Midwifery Council code says you should “promote recommended practice in relation to controlling and preventing infection, and take all reasonable personal precautions necessary to avoid any potential health risks to colleagues, people receiving care and the public”.
For more information about our campaign visit our flu information section on the staff intranet.
We are proud of the support and friendships that develop among our staff beyond our wards, clinics and office sites, including the many sports teams and craft clubs that contribute to a thriving social life.
