Specialist leadership and management development company Amacus and Gateshead College have secured a contract to help thousands of employees towards improved health and fitness after signing up the latest organisation to an NHS scheme.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, which employs 1,300 staff, is the latest organisation Gateshead College has secured for the NHS Better Health at Work Award.
The Amacus and Gateshead College partnership is managing the Better Health at Work Award on behalf of NHS South of Tyne and is the only non-NHS organisation running the scheme in the North East.
Across the region a total of 93 organisations, employing more than 111,000 people working in the public, private and third sectors participated in the award scheme last year, which was delivered by NHS health specialists alongside the college.
The Better Health at Work Award is given to companies committed to improving the workplace and health of their employees. Any size of organisation can participate and employers can take advantage of free guidance and support to meet the award criteria.
Employees at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service will benefit from access to local health support services under this regional award.
Specifically, the service will be developing a programme to help make fire crews' work safer, healthier and happier.
This will include working with the project award team to review physical and mental health policies and identifying individual officers to act as health advocates who will organise health related events and activities.
Meanwhile the service’s senior officers at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service will be able to use the programme to benchmark against others to measure workplace health and wellbeing and the impact of initiatives on workforces.
Peter Trevithick, area manager for HR and Learning and Development at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said: “The health of our staff is a critical issue to our service, especially given our life saving role.
“We already invest a great deal in the health and welfare of our employees so we’re delighted to participate in this initiative as we believe it will continue to raise the profile and importance of being an employer that contributes to the wellbeing of its staff.”
Tania le Marinel, a member of the Amacus project co-ordination team will be working with the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service. She said: “Although fire crews are generally fit we can support individuals with advice about things like heart disease, stress and other mental illnesses.
“Unfortunately, other parts of the North East have seen the worst levels of chronic employee fitness in the UK.
“It’s therefore critical to tackle the problem head on if the region’s economy is to be well placed to take advantage of the opportunities as we emerge from recession.
“We work closely with organisations on behalf of the NHS to deliver plans which enable employees to better understand the importance of a healthier lifestyle and offer simple yet effective steps to self improvement.
“This is another great example of how the Amacus and Gateshead College partnership, are securing important contracts and are rapidly responding to the varied needs of local business.”
The NHS is piloting the Award in the region to help address the chronic poor health afflicting local workforces and encourage companies to get in better shape as the economy emerges from recession.
Eight organisations have signed up since the start of the year for the Better Health at Work Award, who join 12 others already in the programme but now looking to step up to the next level.
Combined, this means that the partnership will be helping 37,000 Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland employees in 2010 along the road to improved health.
Others signed up by the college to start the bronze award include Her Majesty’s Customs and Revenue in Sunderland, South Tyneside Council, Draka, Garlands Call Centre, Akzo Nobel and BAE Systems.
They join Liebherr UK, Jobcentre Plus, ROK Construction, South Tyneside Homes, Gateshead Council and the college itself who already have the bronze award and are now working towards silver in 2010.
To support achievement of the bronze award, the College has introduced a Fit for Life programme which includes a range of initiatives for staff, including free gym membership, healthy food options, a walking club and after-work salsa classes.
The project co-ordination team will continue to work with nominated ‘health advocates’ at these organisations to identify the topical issues affecting employees and ways to improve them.
Health advocates are also able to take up the Royal Society for Public Health’sLevel 2 Award in Understanding Health Improvement to organisations concerned about improving the health and well being of their workforce.
The qualification provides an ideal way of equipping key staff with basic health advice and methods of support which they can then use to inform and assist colleagues and customers.
This is funded via the College, delivered by Amacus and is providing added value to the project participant companies.
More information about the Award at
www.nebetterhealthatwork.nhs.uk
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