Healthy Working Lives Awards for Tayside workplaces
WEDNESDAY, 20 MAY, 2015
PHOTO ATTACHED: L-R WORKPLACE PROGRAMME MANAGER PAT DAVIDSON, DIRECTOR OF PRIMARY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES BILL NICOLL AND DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH DR DREW WALKER WITH THE AWARD WINNERS
Healthy Working Lives Awards for Tayside workplaces
Tayside organisations were the stars of a special ceremony on Wednesday (20 May) to celebrate their efforts in building healthy workplaces for staff.
Ten workplaces have achieved Bronze Awards, two workplaces have achieved Silver Awards and two workplaces have achieved Gold Awards in NHS Tayside’s Healthy Working Lives programme, a national award scheme which is run and managed by the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives.
Healthy Working Lives offers all sorts of practical support and advice to help employers improve the health, safety and wellbeing of their staff. Businesses, communities and individuals can all reap the rewards of a healthier and safer workforce, and these awards help celebrate their success.
NHS Tayside Dundee CHP Centre for Brain Injury Rehabilitation and Dundee City Council’s Corporate & Communications divisions were presented with their Gold Award.
Live Active Leisure, NHS Tayside Community Hospitals, Medicine for the Elderly Murray Royal Hospital and Stroke Unit Perth Royal Infirmary were presented with their Silver Award.
Communities, Education, Finance, Revenues and Democratic & Legal Services, departments in Dundee City Council, St Peter and Paul Primary School, Care Inspectorate, HM Prison Perth, Perth & Kinross Council and Sense Scotland Dundee and Fife were presented with their Bronze award.
The organisations received their certificates at Dundee’s City Chambers from Dr Drew Walker, Director of Public Health, NHS Tayside.
Over 200 workplaces across Tayside participate in the Healthy Working Lives programme, representing 39,000 employees. Since the programme began in 2007, NHS Tayside has presented 73 Bronze, 33 Silver, 16 Gold and three Mental Health & Wellbeing Commendation Awards.
Among the workplace initiatives undertaken by the organisations who received awards on Wednesday were various walking challenges; participation in bike week; weight management classes; healthy eating; massage; relaxation sessions; corporate discounted gym memberships; lifestyle checks; sun awareness and breast cancer awareness.
Healthy Working Lives is coordinated locally by Pat Davidson of NHS Tayside’s Specialist Health Promotion Service and her team of health promotion experts.
Congratulating all those who received awards, Pat said, “These organisations show a real commitment to health improvement in Tayside by providing staff with the opportunity to participate in a range of health promoting activities and ultimately enjoy the benefits of feeling fitter and healthier.
“The Healthy Working Lives programme has been a huge success in Tayside and I hope to see this good work continuing.”
Director of Public Health Dr Drew Walker said, “I wish to congratulate the workplaces on their success. There is strong evidence supporting that a healthy workplace is good for the long term health of the employees and that healthy, happy, motivated individuals result in healthy, happy, successful workplaces.”
The NHS Tayside Healthy Working Lives team visits all participating organisations, big and small, regularly advising companies on how to promote health, safety and wellbeing in their specific workplaces, and giving guidance on how companies can introduce further activities. The team also provides confidential occupational health and safety advice and support to workplaces employing less than 250 staff. All services provided are free of charge.
If your workplace would like to become involved, please contact a member of the Healthy Working Lives on 01382 424057 or email patdavidson@nhs.net
Contact:
Sarah Morris
NHS Tayside Communications
(01382) 740719