Last year Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity supported a three-year Wellbeing programme available to every member of staff at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW).

It was funded as part of our Covid-19 appeal and includes a programme of support, including a Workplace Wellbeing Nurse for the Trust.

Registered Nurse Katie Bray has been in the position since September. We caught up with her to find out more about the role.

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I started my new role in September and I love it!

As the Workplace Wellbeing Nurse I meet staff and offer health checks to staff who would like to review their health and wellbeing. The health check involves standing on a body composition meter and taking readings such as; visceral fat, Body Mass Index (BMI), body fat percentage and they’ll also get their blood pressure taken.

Then they receive a six page booklet with all their results and any SMART goals they have set. But it’s more than a check-up, staff have a chance to sit down, review their health and discuss any associated concerns or root causes around their health.

For example, someone’s weight may be adversely affected by emotional eating, in which case I can help signpost them to specific support to help address this. Or it may be that another member of staff feels they are overweight and wish to access support for weight management, in which case I help signpost them to the 12 week weight loss programme.

Or I could direct staff to Care First, which is the employee assistance programme, available 24/7 for any support around health and wellbeing. You can call Care First any time of the day or night for support with your wellbeing needs.

The health checks can also support people with stopping smoking. Did you know you’re up to four times more likely to stop smoking if you have both Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and support? Once you’ve had your health check, you will be referred to your local Stop Smoking Service for support and free NRT.

To ensure the sessions are equitable to all members of staff, I move round the hospitals in UHBW, and I can even visit your ward and set up in a side room so staff can pop in for their health check when they have a chance.

The participation in the health checks at Weston General Hospital has been great. I’m seeing on average 11 people a day there.

Things are still gaining momentum, but in November I expect to have seen double the number of people that I saw in October, and it’s likely to keep on increasing as staff start to find time to review their health needs.

I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who donated to Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity’s Covid-19 appeal, which has funded my role. The support on offer to staff thanks to your generous donations is fantastic.

If you’d like to book a health check, please go call Occupational Health on 0117 342 3400 and you will be able to select location and time for your health check.

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Donate now and help fund roles that make a big difference to staff at our hospitals in Bristol and Weston.