Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

NHSMental health conditionsWellbeing and health promotionOccupational Health

Only half of NHS trusts have a mental wellbeing policy

by Nic Paton 28 Feb 2014
by Nic Paton 28 Feb 2014 Photo: REX/Photofusion
Photo: REX/Photofusion

More than half (57%) of NHS trusts in England have a mental wellbeing policy in place to support their staff, the latest audit by the Royal College of Physicians’ (RCP) Health and Work Development Unit has found.

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of trusts in England took part in the Implementing NICE public health guidance for the workplace: a national organisational audit of NHS trusts in England – covering more than 860,000 staff.

The audit measured how NHS trusts were progressing with the implementation of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidance for key public health topics, including obesity, smoking cessation, physical activity, long-term sickness absence and promoting mental wellbeing.

It found that at board level, there is an awareness of staff health and wellbeing. All but two of the NHS trusts that took part had allocated a board lead for staff health and wellbeing, usually the HR director.

However, fewer than half of all trust boards considered long-term sickness absence alongside the health and wellbeing data, meaning they were unlikely to be able to make a link between the two.

Of equal concern was the finding that nearly a quarter of NHS trusts (24%) did not monitor their staff’s mental wellbeing at all, said the RCP.

Only 28% of trusts had a plan to tackle staff obesity levels. While 76% of organisations offered healthy food choices in staff restaurants, only 27% also offered healthy food choices to those working night shifts.

However, the audit found that there was some progress when it came to obesity – in 2010 only 13% of trusts had a plan for obesity, but this had risen to 28% in 2013.

Dr Siân Williams, clinical director of the unit, said: “The round-two audit results show that there is acknowledgement of the importance of staff health and wellbeing in the NHS, but they also show that there is wide variation and progress is slow.

“This is concerning, given the evidence that NHS staff health influences patient outcomes – for example, infection rates. There is room for improvement to ensure that organisations are providing the best support for their staff.”

She added: “The NICE guidance that we measured against is evidence based, and so is a very good place to start for NHS trusts developing staff health and wellbeing strategies. In fact, I would urge all trusts to familiarise themselves with it, because we anticipate further guidance from NICE about public health and the workplace next year.”

Nic Paton
Nic Paton

Nic Paton is consulting editor of OHW+. One of the country's foremost workplace health journalists, Nic has written for OHW+ and Occupational Health & Wellbeing since 2001, and edited the magazine from 2018.

previous post
Breaking down the barriers between occupational health and GPs
next post
70:20:10 – a model approach for learning?

You may also like

Long NHS waits meaning many with long Covid...

17 May 2022

Grants scheme set up to support women’s health...

16 May 2022

Crumbling school buildings ‘risk to life’ suggests leak

16 May 2022

‘Gulf War Syndrome’ caused by release of nerve...

13 May 2022

Workers feeing increasingly anxious, burnt out and fearful...

13 May 2022

Shift workers: knowing the diet-related health risks

12 May 2022

Majority unaware of long-term damage caused by stroke

12 May 2022

Three-quarters not meeting weekly exercise target

11 May 2022

Employers hindering return to work by failing to...

9 May 2022

Mental health still topping the concerns for employers

9 May 2022

  • The importance of being an ethical leader and how to become one PROMOTED | What is ethical leadership?...Read more
  • RPO Report: 2022, The Year to Outsource PROMOTED | Employers should be overwhelmed with choice...Read more
  • Report: Enabling organisational agility through talent & people success PROMOTED | Work has been challenged...Read more
  • Employee Trends 2022 report PROMOTED | Edenred research on employees analysed the key employees’ trends for 2022...Read more
  • How finance apprenticeships can boost business PROMOTED | As the world’s most forward-thinking professional accountancy body...Read more
  • Paul Devoy: Showing appreciation to the Investors in People community PROMOTED | Ask most people what comes to mind when you mention Investors in People...Read more
  • White paper: How digitalisation can support evolving occupational health PROMOTED | Download this free white paper to discover how digitalisation can help occupational health meet emerging challenges...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today