College to review wellbeing arrangements for NHS staff
BMJ 2010; 341 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.c4423 (Published 18 August 2010) Cite this as: BMJ 2010;341:c4423
Arrangements for improving the health and wellbeing of staff in NHS trusts in England are to come under review, following recommendations from a report last November by Steve Boorman.
The Royal College of Physicians will lead the audit of whether trusts are following public health guidance for the workplace issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
Dr Boorman’s review called for staff health and wellbeing to be embedded in the core business of NHS organisations, ensuring there is an overall picture of the situation across the board. Although many trusts already have pockets of activity to this end, they are not organisation wide.
The Health and Work Development Unit at the Royal College of Physicians is carrying out the review this summer and autumn.
Dr Siân Williams, director of the Health and Work Development Unit, said the audit would help trusts share good practice as well as improve their own internal practices.
“Working for the NHS is about to get tougher, and staff deserve the best management practices and services to maintain their health,” she said. “Evidence shows that healthy staff deliver better care to patients.”
Dr Boorman identified musculoskeletal issues and mental health problems as two of the most common forms of staff sickness within the NHS. He urged preventive measures to reduce their incidence.
Trusts will be measured against six NICE public health guidelines, including those for managing long term sickness absence and incapacity for work, promoting physical activity in the workplace, and promoting mental wellbeing through productive and healthy working conditions.
Smoking cessation and measures to manage obesity are also on the agenda.
The Health and Work Development Unit will provide each participating trust with a confidential report in March 2011, which will identify gaps in provision.
The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and the Faculty of Occupational Medicine are funding the audit as a quality improvement initiative for NHS staff health and wellbeing.