NHSE London Staff Experience and Engagement Team Weekly Round Up

Thursday 6^th March

This is the Staff Experience and Engagement Team Roundup which gathers information into one weekly communication for Health and Wellbeing leads to track information updates, deadlines and upcoming events. The Weekly Roundup is sent weekly to all Health and Wellbeing Leads and will always be saved to the NHS Futures Workspace.

We’ll be using the ‘Our London People’ NHS Futures Site to store documents, so  links might direct you there. Once you’ve joined, accessing it in the future will be seamless.

 

News and Updates

Information:

Headspace and WorkLife Central apps

Headspace and WorkLife Central will cease to provide free access to NHS staff from 31^st March 2025. However, Unmind will continue to be free for NHS staff until 31^st December 2025.

Headspace and WorkLife Central will communicate this with their current active users from the beginning of March. They will also outline the individual costs to continue using the service, should active users choose to do this.

For more information on national health and wellbeing support please visit NHS England » Supporting our NHS people.

If you do have any questions, please do contact the team: ournhspeople.hwb@nhs.net

 

People Promise Exemplar Programme Cohort 1 Evaluation report published

The People Promise Exemplar Programme aimed to test the assumption that delivering a set of interventions covering elements of the NHS People Promise together would maximise efforts to improve staff experience and retention.

Read the full Cohort 1 evaluation report here and the news story `Staff leaving the NHS among lowest in over a decade`  here

Please contact england.londonexemplarprogramme@nhs.net if you have any questions

 

Health and wellbeing champions update – March 2025

We would like to share with you the next edition of our national health and wellbeing champions’ update. This can be viewed via this Sway link and is packed full of useful information for everyone who leads, supports, and champions the health and wellbeing of our healthcare workforce.

This edition includes:

• latest health and wellbeing community updates
• spotlight on celebrating occupational health (OH) and wellbeing colleagues gaining awards.
• summary of national health and wellbeing resources and support available to all
• upcoming community events
• latest research and good practice
• and wider community updates from our OH and wellbeing partners

Please do share the link to this update with everyone that you think would be interested. Colleagues can register their interest to join our mailing list by emailing ournhspeople.hwb@nhs.net. If you have any insights, great practice, or other health and wellbeing initiatives that you think our community needs to hear about, we would love to hear from you. Please do contact us ournhspeople.hwb@nhs.net

 

2025 GP Staff Survey (GPSS) ICB launch event

In 2024, 33 ICBs participated in the GPSS and with the inclusion of NHS staff surveys, and specifically the GPSS within the Patient Safety Strategy for Primary Care, all ICBs are strongly encouraged to join the third year of implementation.

To prepare for year three the National NHS staff survey team hosted a launch event where they shared details of the GPSS survey, including survey design, evidence base, as well as critical milestones for successful implementation.  Guest speaker Tim Caroe, NHS England’s Medical Director for Primary Care Transformation of the South-East region joined for the launch event to share his thoughts on the importance of GPSS.

If you missed the webinar you can find the recording here and slides here.

Further links you may find helpful:

• Further details on the GPSS Staff Survey, reporting and implementation process and can be found here.
• More information can be found on our staff experience and engagement community:
• Further details on the NHS Staff Survey can be found here

 

Events:

Management and Leadership Framework – Briefing Session – 11^th March – 12pm – 1pm

Gill Rooke, Deputy Director for the Leadership & Management Centre of Excellence at NHS England has kindly agreed to talk to us about the progress to date in relation to the development of the new framework and outline what happens next.

Join the Microsoft teams meeting here

 

Over The Bloody Moon Lunch & Learn:

Menopause & Career Progression – 20^th May – 12.30pm – 1.15pm

Please join this FREE lunch & learn where OTBM be discussing Menopause and Career Progression: Overcoming Barriers.

Menopause Coach Rebecca Hill will address how menopause can affect career progression and professional development, and how you can support employees/mentees through this phase of their career.

Please send any questions to leila@overthebloodymoon.com

 

Resources:

Monthly HWB call – Bullying & Harassment

We were joined by Liza Collins, Senior Programme Manager Thrive London, who presented about her research on bullying & harassment.

If you missed the meeting, you can find the recording here.

Liza has shared her research ‘The NHS: Can It Create A Harassment Free Environment and Non Bullying Culture.’ You can read the research here.

 

Toynbee Hall research `The crisis makes us more alone` published

Back in June 2024 the research team from Toynbee Hall presented the Participatory Action Research investigating the emotional support young people (16-22 years old) from low-income backgrounds access in the context of the cost-of-living crisis`

This research—carried out by those directly impacted—underscores the urgent need for systemic change at both national and local levels. The report’s key recommendations call for increasing family incomes, improving access to culturally appropriate mental health support, and addressing overcrowded housing. It highlights the critical role that community organisations play in fostering emotional support networks.  This research has now been published.

Read the research here

Find the Toynbee Hall research library here

 

Ipsos Karian and Box report:  Wellbeing that works: Tackling burnout through leader-led change

Ipsos Karian and Box interviewed over 2,500 UK employees to uncover:​

• The factors driving high levels of burnout
• Who’s most in need of support to reduce the risk of burnout
• How management and leadership affect wellbeing
• Wellbeing aspects employees want employers to prioritise
• And how to measure wellbeing in the workplace

Discover how to champion the best wellbeing practices, reduce burnout and enrich your employee experience.

Read the report here

 

London Growth Plan launched

Developed by the Mayor of London and London Councils, the London Growth Plan is a blueprint for turbocharging productivity in the capital. It aims to restore productivity growth to an average of two per cent a year over the next decade, making London’s economy £107bn larger in 2035, and to help create over 150,000 good jobs by 2028.

Explore the microsite and read the London Growth Plan here .

 

GLA Economics Working Paper on sickness and Long term conditions

GLA economics has published a new working paper that provides up-to-date analysis and data, with key findings including:

• London faces a long-term sickness challenge. 920,000, or 15%, of working-age Londoners, have a long-term health condition limiting the type or amount of work they can do.
• One-in-10 employed Londoners report a health condition, leading to around 1 million of work hours lost through sickness absences annually.
• Economic inactivity resulting from long-term sickness has grown in London since the pandemic – but much more slowly than in the rest of the UK.
• The rise of mental health issues among young adults in London has been a key driver of the rise in work-limiting long-term sickness in the capital.

Read the paper here

The data that sits behind the paper is available to download from here

 

Good Thinking and Pathway through Pain programme launch

Good Thinking have launched a new pain management programme. Pathway through Pain is a pain management programme for chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain. Participants can expect to improve their health and wellbeing, reduce the impact of pain and gain the skills and knowledge to effectively manage pain and day-to-day challenges in the long term. Participants gain a deeper understanding of pain through a combination of physical and psychological therapies.

Find more information here

 

The Health Foundation:  Unlocking health and wealth: the role of anchor institutions in boosting local economies

Here The Health Foundation draws on examples of anchor institutions that are already supporting local growth and reducing inequalities, and  explore what the government can do to enable greater anchor activity.

Read the resource here

 

Offers:

Digital Weight Management Programme for NHS Staff

Those in caring professions often prioritise others’ needs over their own. The Digital Weight Management Programme offers a flexible and clinically effective way to support personal health and wellbeing. Designed to fit around busy schedules, the programme is tailored to individual needs, with participants typically losing an average of 3.9kg over 12 weeks.

Accessible via smartphone, tablet, or computer, it can be used anytime, anywhere, making it easy to incorporate into daily life.

Visit https://staff.wmp.nhs.uk/ to explore available plans. Once registered, participants can select a weight management plan that suits them. All information remains confidential and is not shared with employers or workplaces.

Upcoming national campaigns

International Women’s Day	8th March
Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively for #IWD2025 we can all #AccelerateAction. Find out more here.
Healthcare Science Week	10th March – 16th March
Healthcare Science Week brings together over 50 scientific specialisms and professional groups to celebrate and raise awareness of this diverse NHS workforce. Find out more here.
Neurodiversity Celebration Week	17th March – 23rd March
Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. Find the events schedule here. Find out more here.

 

In case you missed it

Date & Time	Activity	Further details
Various dates in March	NHS Pensions webinar series NHS Pensions are running a webinar series in November and December whichintroduce and explain the pension scheme and its benefits. Other sessions include retirement planning and pension administration.	Book your place on one of the webinars here
7th March 10am – 12pm	International Women’s Day 2025 Join NHS Confederation’s Health and Care Women Leaders Network’s International Women’s Day webinar where you will hear from keynote speakers, participate in panel sessions, and explore initiatives highlighting the diverse experiences of marginalised women as both healthcare leaders and service users.	Book your placehere. Please share with your staff.
7th March 10am – 12pm	Accelerating action: International Women’s Day 2025 Join the NHS Confederation Health and Care Women Leaders Network for their International Women’s Day 2025 webinar. This event will spotlight ongoing efforts to advance gender equality and foster inclusivity for women in healthcare.	Book your placehere.
9th March	COVID-19 day of reflection Sunday 9th March marks the fifth year since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the first UK-wide Day of Reflection. The day is an opportunity to remember those who died, reflect on sacrifices made, and pay tribute to the health, social and frontline workers and volunteers who showed acts of kindness. Visit the Day of Reflection website for ways to get involved, toolkits and templates, and to have your event included on the interactive map.	Find further detailshere.   Please share with your staff.
18th March 10am – 12pm	Violence prevention and reduction national webinar We are inviting NHS senior and strategic leaders who champion the Violence Prevention and Reduction (VPR) agenda to this national webinar, designed to connect, share and learn following the launch of the recently updated Violence Prevention and Reduction Standard.	Book your placehere. Please share with senior leaders.
25th March 9am – 11am	NHS Employers Leadership masterclass: Inclusive empowerment and agency Led by Dr Paul Taylor-Pitt, take part to gain the skills and confidence to challenge inequities and advocate for inclusive policies and practices.	Book your placehere.
27th March 10am – 1pm	Indifference in NHS agile workers is a ‘red flag’ for burnout Join this webinar with NHS Employer & agiLab for a presentation highlighting how indifference about work from agile workers can be a sign that they are at risk of burnout. Hear what interventions could help, with some best practice examples.	Book your placehere. Please share with your senior leaders.

 

Quick Links

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