29 March 2021

Guest blogger Verity Henson

My name is Verity and I have worked within the NHS for 23 years in various roles in different specialities.  I am currently employed as the Nurse Wellbeing Lead for Specialised Services at UHBW. This new role was created to help with nurse retention within the wards in our division.  The advantage of having a nurse wellbeing lead is that I am able to offer direct support and pastoral care to staff when they encounter day to day troubles and worries.  This has been particularly important in the last year in supporting nursing staff who have been working so tirelessly throughout this pandemic.

I think it is so important to have someone who is able to signpost and share news and services available to support staff wellbeing.  This role allows me to proactively share incentives and initiatives that are available to all staff, who may not necessarily be aware otherwise. 

The wellbeing of staff working within the NHS is hugely important because they are our biggest asset.  By investing in our staff and supporting them to be healthy and well it allows them to do their jobs to the best of their capabilities. 

I get a huge amount of satisfaction from being a Wellbeing Advocate.  The role gives a very clear message to staff that we are working in an organisation that really values its staff and it is great to be able to share the initiatives and services that are available to us all, no matter what grade or job we do. 

In my experience the Wellbeing Advocate role is seen as really positive.  Staff are really clear on who they can go to should they need information to support their wellbeing and I am often asked how they can become and advocate.

The three-year wellbeing programme, funded by Above & Beyond, will have an extremely positive impact on staff working within the Trust.  The offer we have available is really diverse and inclusive so will appeal to all staff members across the board. 

Working within an NHS organisation can be challenging and difficult at the best of times under usual circumstances but this year in particular it has been extremely challenging, especially for frontline staff working and caring for patients in the midst of a pandemic. I feel that by having such a fantastic wellbeing programme it shows our NHS colleagues how much they are valued and how grateful the trust is for the tireless work they put in.  It is also a great opportunity for our organisation to be able to invest in our staff to ensure they are as healthy and well as they can be. 

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