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Sir Bruce Keogh honours NHS Trusts for healthy workforce efforts

Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS England Medical Director, has honoured 21 NHS trusts for their work in helping staff get and keep healthy by employing a host of innovative techniques such as using walking meetings, a range of new technologies and extra support for shift workers.

Handing out gold, silver and bronze awards to the winners of the 2016 Sports and Physical Activity Challenge Awards Sir Bruce said there had never been a more important time for hospitals and all NHS organisations to focus on the health and well-being of their staff:

“The effects of low levels of physical activity can be seen day in, day out in every hospital and GP practice across the NHS,” he said.

“As collectively the largest employer in the country, the NHS family has not just an opportunity, but a responsibility to take steps to improve the health and wellbeing of our million-plus strong workforce.

“Supporting and encouraging staff participation in sport and physical activity is already seen as a priority for many NHS employers, and through our Health and Wellbeing programme NHS England is keen to see this good practice spread even further.

“I am therefore delighted to offer NHS England’s support for the Sport and Physical Activity @ Work Awards, and hope that, as part of their commitment to supporting the health and wellbeing of staff, NHS employers will get involved.”

The awards were looking for inspiring programmes large or small, those that targeted staff who work shifts or from one of the equality groups, those that used technology or provided opportunities for people to be less sedentary at work by hosting walking meetings for example.

Eight applicants met the gold criteria with 20 per cent of staff engaged in sport or physical activities, seven received silver with 10-15 per cent and six got bronze with five per cent.

NHS England recently announced proposed new action to cut obesity and reduce the sales and consumption of sugary drinks sold in hospitals.

A formal consultation was launched proposing a new fee to be paid by vendors, or alternatively seeks views on an outright ban.

As Europe’s largest employer, with over 1.3 million staff, the NHS committed in its overall strategy, the Five Year Forward View, to improve the health of its workforce.

A recent survey found obesity to be the most significant self-reported health problem amongst NHS staff, with nearly 700,000 NHS staff estimated to be overweight or obese.

Rising rates of obesity amongst NHS staff are not only bad for their personal health, but also affect sickness absence and the NHS’s ability to give patients credible and effective advice about their health.

NHS premises also receive heavy footfall from the communities of which they are a part, with over 1 million patients every 24 hours, 22 million A&E attendances and 85 million outpatient appointments each year. The food sold in these locations can send a powerful message to the public about healthy food and drink consumption.

The winners of the 2016 Sports and Physical Activity Challenge Awards are:

  • 5 Borough’s Partnership NHS Foundation Trust: Silver
  • Barking Havering &Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust: Gold
  • Barts Health NHS Trust: Bronze
  • Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Gold
  • Central London Community Health NHS Trust: Bronze
  • Doncaster & Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Bronze
  • Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust: Gold
  • NHS Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group: Silver
  • Northern Lincolnshire & Goole NHS Foundation Trust: Bronze
  • Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust: Gold
  • Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust: Silver
  • Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust: Silver
  • Rotherham, Doncaster & South Humber NHS Foundation Trust: Silver
  • Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust: Gold
  • Sheffield City Council – Activity Shefield: Silver
  • South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust: Gold
  • The 52 Club University College London Hospitals: Bronze
  • The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust: Gold
  • University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust: Bronze
  • University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust: Gold
  • University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust: Silver

7 comments

  1. Scott Buckler says:

    Brilliant to see a spotlight on such an important aspect of health promotion, the workforce. Where can we find out what each of them did?

    • Kassander says:

      Why should he be?
      He knows only too well what ‘ Hunt’s plans are for Our=NHS.
      # Run it down until it’s on its knees
      # Cry crocodile tears about its parlous state
      # State that the only way to ‘rescue’ it is to flog it off
      # Since it will be all but bankrupt, it will be sold @ Fire Sale prices.
      # It will be sold off in ‘lots’ The recent announcement that STP is leading to Totally Integrated Trusts is part of the prep’n for marketization
      # In areas of high need and huge deficiencies in housing, wages, etc the Gov’t will promise huge subsidies to persuade their profit hungry pals to take on those hospitals.
      # The Railways and PFI all rolled into one
      “Rejoice Rejoice”

    • Kassander says:

      Goodness gracious – that can’t be allowed.
      The next thing will be that you start asking to have a vote on who gets rewarded. Whose money do you think is financing these rewards?
      This isn’t ‘Strictly’ you know!
      Do please leave these matters to we Top People – we know what we’re doing.

  2. Chris Reid says:

    Could somebody please point out tonSir Bruce Keough that while handing out medals for nonsense, Maybe he explain why tonight sat 3/12/2016 There is not one empty paediatric bed in the whole of the NHS. Ask him if he is proud of his cuts.

  3. Kassander says:

    NHS England recently announced proposed new action to cut obesity and reduce the sales and consumption of sugary drinks sold in hospitals.

    A formal consultation was launched proposing a new fee to be paid by vendors, or alternatively seeks views on an outright ban.
    ——
    Have NHSE learned NOTHING from the history of the struggle against the death-dealing, profit driven, disregard for humanity, smoking plague?
    Sir Richard Doll, et alia, clearly identified the link between tobacco smoking and lung cancer in the early 1950s. It’s only now that UK is really coming to terms with those findings.
    Do your duty by the population and BAN the sale of sugary drinks sold in hospitals.
    Never mind about moves to ” reduce the(ir) sales ”
    Ban them.

  4. Kassander says:

    “Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS England Medical Director, has honoured 21 NHS trusts ..
    ​Handing​ ​.. awards to the winners​ ​.. Sir Bruce said .. I am therefore delighted to offer NHS England’s support… ”

    # If these were awards from NHSE, why weren’t they presented by the Chair of the Board on behalf of the Patients & Public (P&P), the owners of Our=NHS?
    # Nothing about P&P involvement in the decisions about which trusts won what awards from Our=NHS?
    ​# Has there been a Management buy-out of NHSE which I didn’t notice?​

    • Nancy Jirira says:

      Can NHS include support for Dental Care including Orthodontics to its Workforce?
      In the past NHS used to support vision, dental and obesity by offering reduced rates for memberships to local Gyms, dentist and opticians.