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Flourish

3 March 2020

Our campaigns

Welcome to #Flourish

We want our colleagues to flourish - we would go so far as to say it is our most important job. Our colleagues are our greatest resource and the Trust is committed to improving colleague’s experience, given that when it is positive, this has a positive impact on the patient care and experience. Safe, healthy, valued, respected, and supported colleagues deliver higher quality care to patients. We will only provide the best possible care to our patients if every one of us is enabled and empowered to be the best we can be, both physically and mentally, every day.

It has been three years since the launch of the Trust’s Health & Wellbeing Flourish Strategy.  It was originally launched in 2016 with the aim of supporting colleague health and wellbeing.  Since then the Trust has moved forward a number of wellbeing initiatives and improved the overall offer to colleagues. We will now build on the good work already in place to develop the strategy further to meet our colleagues needs and aspirations working with colleagues, their representatives, Bay Health & Care partners.

Our absolute priority is to work with our colleagues to promote good physical and mental health and wellbeing.  We have a joint responsibility to ensure that every colleague has a great day, every day.

Whilst physical fitness and good nutrition helps our bodies to stay strong, mental fitness helps us to achieve and sustain a state of good mental health.  When we are physically and mentally healthy, we enjoy our life and environment and the people in it, and can be creative or learn new things. We are better able to cope with difficult times in our personal and professional lives.

So join us on our journey and let’s Flourish together!

The key elements in the refreshed Strategy for 2019-2024 will be Move More, Nourish, Healthy Heart and Mental Health Matters.  We have also identified a primary theme that cuts across all four areas; Take a Break which is the need to support colleagues to achieve their basic rest and rejuvenation needs whilst in work.

We will support colleagues to reach their full potential to develop and maintain active healthy lives.

We will provide opportunities, information and advice to colleagues to undertake activities in and out of work.

We will promote the benefits of a physically active life and facilitate health improvement activities.

It’s free, available now and what’s more – it’s good for your health

The move more challenge is about supporting and encouraging our staff to do more physical activity. It doesn’t matter if it is walking, skipping, running or doing more revolutions in their wheelchair – it all counts to improving our health.  The evidence is clear, patient outcomes are improved when they are looked after by happy and well cared for healthcare professionals.

The #Flourish campaign is about more than just your health at work. We want to encourage our colleagues to take advantage of their local surroundings across Morecambe Bay, and how easy it is to get active!

Find out more about walking for health in your local area.

As part of the Move More section in the #Flourish campaign, we have marked out 1 mile walking routes on each of our hospital sites!

Walking is simple, free, and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier.

Sometimes overlooked as a form of exercise, walking briskly can help you build stamina, burn excess calories and make your heart healthier. You don't have to walk for hours. A brisk 10-minute daily walk has lots of health benefits and counts towards your recommended 150 minutes of weekly exercise.

Take a look at the route maps here, and remember to share your photos on social media using #Flourish.

Your diet

The Eatwell guide shows that to have a healthy, balanced diet, people should try to:

  • Eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day
  • Base meals on higher fibre starchy foods like potatoes, bread, rice or pasta
  • Have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soya drinks)
  • Eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins
  • Choose unsaturated oils and spreads, and eat them in small amounts
  • drink plenty of fluids (at least 6 to 8 glasses a day)

It’s time to take a break and rehydrate!

Keeping hydrated is essential for all age groups and is something we should all be aware of 365 days of the year, to keep us fit and healthy through every season. It is especially important during the Winter months to remember to keep drinking plenty of water throughout the day and don’t let caffeinated hot drinks like tea and coffee become a substitute.

An easy way to spot signs of being dehydrated is by checking your urine. Dark and strong smelling urine is a clear sign that you need to drink more fluids. As part of our #Flourish campaign the Occupational Health & Wellbeing service has produced this handy chart for you to check your own level of hydration.

We will work to raise awareness and understanding of mental health.  We will develop a culture of openness and kindness where colleagues feel able to openly discuss their mental health, as they do physical health.

We will develop a culture where it is recognised that it is OK not to be OK.  This will enable colleagues to support themselves and recognise when others may need support.

What is mental health?

Having good mental health helps us relax more, achieve more and enjoy our lives more. There are simple things we can all do to look after our mental health and wellbeing – take our quiz to get started today with a free plan, expert advice and practical tips.

Introducing the Lighthouse Café – ‘It’s ok to not be ok’

As part of the Trust’s refreshed health and Wellbeing strategy #Flourish we want to enable our colleagues to support themselves and recognise when others may need support. We want them to know that they are not alone and we are making our Trust a place where it’s good to talk. So starting in December the Lighthouse Café will offer a safe non-judgmental environment where all of our colleagues can meet on a monthly basis to talk and share their stories. Sessions will be facilitated by the Trust’s Mental Health First Aiders. There is no need to book and please feel free to drop in if and when you can for free coffee, cake and a natter! Please be mindful that these meetings are not Therapy sessions.

What is good mental health?

Looking after your mental health is not something we should just do if we are struggling, or feeling low, anxious or stressed. It's actually something we should think about all the time and really invest in, just like with our physical health.

Having good mental health can help us sleep better, feel better, enable us to the things we want to do, and help us have more positive relationships with those around us. We do not need to wait until we're struggling.

Looking after our mental health is not only good for us now, it can also help us deal with and manage difficult times in the future. Over time, it may also reduce our risk of physical health problems.

There are lots of things we can do to look after our mental health and wellbeing every day – make a start with these 6 top tips.

https://youtu.be/hMoLwGixWdM

More information

Heart and circulatory diseases kill 1 in 4 people in the UK. It begins when fatty material builds up in your arteries (the blood vessels that carry blood to your organs). If the arteries that carry blood to your heart get damaged and clogged, it can lead to a heart attack. If this happens in the arteries that carry blood to your brain it can lead to a stroke.

A healthy lifestyle will make your heart healthier. There are lots of things you can do to look after your heart, such as stopping smoking, being active, drinking less alcohol and managing your weight.

Risk factors

You’re much more likely to get heart and circulatory diseases or complications if you have:

  • High blood pressure
  • Type 2 Diabetes
  • High cholesterol
  • Smoke or chew tobacco
  • Drink too much alcohol
  • Don't move enough
  • Eat an unhealthy diet
  • Are overweight
  • Feel stressed

What can I do to improve my heart health?

The good news is there are a lot of small changes you can start making today to really improve your heart health. The first step is to look at how healthy your heart is at the moment. Take the NHS Heart Age Test to see your heart age compared to your real age. It also includes information to help you understand your blood pressure numbers, cholesterol and advice on how to reduce your heart age.

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