Health and wellbeing

Introduction to wellbeing

From our mental health to our physical health, this section will be the central space used to update all things wellbeing. For details of current initiatives, events, and information to support you please look on our RCHT Staff Facebook page. For a range of resources and short guides to support your Health and Wellbeing whist looking after others, visit ‘Our NHS People’.

NHS Employers also have information on resources, offers and toolkits that will help yourself and your team during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the latest Coronavirus Staff Information, please see the Trust’s Intranet home page and internal email updates. To access the Covid-19 Staff Risk Assessment click on the following link: https://webapp/SRA/

We run a Wellbeing Newsletter which holds wellbeing news, upcoming events, and resources. Please contact us to find out how to subscribe to this.

Contact details

Email: RCHT.Wellbeing@nhs.net

Wellbeing conversations

Every member of the NHS should have a health and wellbeing conversation and develop a personalised plan. These conversations may fit within an appraisal, job plan or one-to-one line management discussion, and should be reviewed at least annually. Click on the Links below for Wellbeing Conversation Guidance for Managers and a useful Flowchart. Full guidance including tuition videos on how to have a wellbeing conversation can be found on NHS employers: Wellbeing conversations – Our NHS People – NHS England » Wellbeing conversations

For local guidance for staff, please see the intranet, and search for the following two documents:

  • Wellbeing Conversations Guidance for Managers
  • My Wellbeing Conversation Flowchart

5 pillars of wellbeing

At Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, we have identified 5 Pillars, reflecting what we believe to be the 5 integral factors, which look after our staff’s Health and Wellbeing. These pillars are:

We recognise that a healthy, engaged, and supported workforce also brings positive benefits for the people across Cornwall that we care for.

We work to provide support and opportunities for staff to maintain their health in a range of ways.

Please see the below sections, representing the 5 pillars.


Body

Health checks

Please see our Occupational Health page for more information.

Physiotherapy

Please see our Occupational Health page for more information.

Menopause

During the menopause physiological changes take place which lead to hormone changes. These hormone changes differ between individuals going through the menopause. As a result of hormone changes within the body, a wide range of symptoms can occur.

Here are some tips that may help deal with the symptoms of menopause:

  • Find out more about the menopause from available sources of information (see suggestions at the end of this guidance).
  • See your GP for advice on available treatment options.
  • Ask for a ‘Wellbeing Conversation’ and discuss your practical needs with your line manager, HR or another manager or colleague you feel comfortable talking to.
  • Ask for a referral to the Trust’s occupational health service to discuss support and possible work adjustments, for example:
  • Review control of workplace temperature and ventilation and see how they might be adapted to meet your needs. This might include having a desktop fan in an office or locating a workstation near an opening window or away from a heat source.
  • Consider flexible working hours or shift changes. If sleep is disturbed, later start times might be helpful.
  • Access to cold drinking water
  • Access to washroom facilities and toilets.
  • Agreed protected time to discuss work issues to help with loss of confidence.
  • Considering additional rest breaks.
  • Additional considerations and adjustments may be required for specific roles or locations. For example:

Where uniforms are worn, flexibility is helpful. This could include wearing uniform of lightweight fabric, providing additional sets of uniform as well as the provision of changing facilities during the shift if required. Please see Uniform request form on intranet pages.

Where work requires constant standing or prolonged sitting, having access to a break room (e.g. to sit during work breaks) would be helpful, as would space to move about for those in sedentary roles.

In customer-focused or public-facing roles, it may help to have identified a quiet space for a short break so you can manage a severe hot flush.

Where adjustments are agreed, they should be reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure they are having the required impact. If those you work with are supportive, this can make a big difference. If you feel able to do talk about your symptoms and solutions with colleagues, particularly those who are also experiencing symptoms.

More resources and documents about menopause are available on the intranet, including menopause focus group dates.

Cyclescheme

Cyclescheme is available to RCHT staff – This Salary Sacrifice Scheme is open to all staff on a substantive or fixed term contract. There are three lengths of loan term available – 6 months (for those with less than 12 months to run on their contract), 12 months, or 24 months. The maximum amount you can borrow is £3000.

Staff apply online via the Cyclescheme website. For the Employer Code for RCHT, please see instructions at the very bottom of this page under the heading ‘staff-only information’.


Community

Menopause Teams Chat group

The Menopause Teams Chat is to unite people going through menopause, as well as peri-menopausal and post-menopausal people. It is to share resources, stories, help and provide a network of support. This is a closed group – if you would be interested in join, please contact us.

The Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) Group Chat

The Mental Health First Aiders Group Chat is a place for mental health first aiders to share resources and availability to provide Mental Health First Aid to staff in their moment of need. Any qualified mental first aider working under RCHT can be added to this group. Please contact us for more information.

For a full list of our Mental Health first aiders, please look on our intranet page.

TRiM Group Chat

The aim of the TRiM Group Chat is to share resources and availability when departments / teams are in need of Trauma Risk Assessment debrief.


Finances and work

MoneyHelper

MoneyHelper provides free and impartial money advice, set up by government. Services include Advice and guides to help improve your finances, Tools and calculators to help keep track and plan ahead and Support over the phone and online.

Citizens Advice Cornwall

Citizens Advice Cornwall offers free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to individuals on their rights and responsibilities. As an organisation we value diversity, promote equality and challenge discrimination. You can find them at nine main offices and at outreaches across the Cornwall and on the Isles of Scilly.

Active Travel to Work

For full details of the Tusker salary Sacrifice Car Scheme and other ways to travel to work visit the intranet page – Brilliant People, Transport and Travel Advice for Work.

Care and Share boxes

Information available on the intranet.

Staff lottery

Nearly 80% of all the money paid into the lottery each month goes towards prizes, whilst 20% of the proceeds from the stakes paid by RCHT staff goes into funding Wellbeing initiatives for RCHT Staff. Just as the prize fund goes up and down according to the numbers of tickets held, so do does the income received.

To take part in the RCHT NHS Staff Lottery please download the form and send it to the Pensions department.

Discounts


Mind and emotions

Employee Assistance Programme

Did you know that we have a fantastic free confidential service open to all staff and their families including partners and dependents? This service, provided by Health Assured, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to support you with issues such as health and wellbeing information, stress at home or work, financial issues including debt, family and relationship matter and consumer issues.

To access the support services, please look on our intranet page for login details and the telephone number. Please see the very bottom of this page for instructions on where the intranet page is.

Chaplaincy Support

Our Chaplains are here to support you, and the Chapel (first floor Tower Block) provides a quiet space to take time out when you need it.

Kernow Workforce Wellbeing Hub Support Line

Open from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm – provides practical and emotional support for everyone. The number is available on our intranet page, see instructions at the bottom of this page.

Samaritans

Whatever you’re going through, a Samaritan will face it with you. They’re here 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call for free on 116 123, or visit the Samaritans website.

Togetherall

Togetherall is an app-based platform supporting mental health – please look on our intranet page for our free join up link. Instructions are at the bottom of this page.

Cornwall Health Library

Based at the top floor of the Knowledge Spa, Cornwall Health Library is a quiet place to work and a place to relax with a range of crafts and fiction section.

Man Down

Man Down is a Cornwall-based group offering safe spaces to meet the current emotional and mental health needs of men who are struggling to cope with the everyday pressures facing them in our modern society.

Mind

Mind provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.


Family and Relationships

Childcare and family support

We act as an advocate and a source of information for all colleagues from help with Maternity/Adoption/Parental Leave and rights through to information on finding Childcare and help available with Childcare Costs.

Contact details

Linda Carpenter

Wellbeing Admin Lead

Address

Occupational Health & Wellbeing
Pendeen House
Royal Cornwall Hospital
Truro
Cornwall
TR1 3LJ

Maternity/Paternity, Adoption, and shared parental leave and pay

In order for us to help you fully, we recommend that you contact us as soon as possible to advise us of your pregnancy or intention to Adopt. We can then provide the relevant information pack to you. Enclosed in the pack is a guide for your Manager with a checklist of what to do and when. In respect of Maternity, this includes the relevant forms to enable them to carry out your first Risk Assessment, which should be done as soon as possible upon notification of your pregnancy as well as links to other Risk Assessment requirements that may be in place at the time e.g. Covid Risk assessment.

Full information on Maternity/Adoption/Paternity & Shared Parental Leave for colleagues employed under Agenda for Change terms and conditions of employment can be found in Part 3, Section 15 of the Handbook.

For those with insufficient service to qualify for Occupational Pay under the above or those who may not have a permanent or fixed term contract (As & When, Bank, Kernowflex, Locum etc), Statutory pay may potentially apply.  Click here for full details of all Statutory Parental Rights

Finding childcare

The Family Information Service (FIS) is the only source for all Ofsted registered childcare across Cornwall. Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. Your FIS can provide you with details of Childminders, Crèches, Day Nurseries, Holiday Schemes, Out of School Clubs and Pre-school Playgroups in your chosen area.

You can ring free on 0800 5878191 to discuss your Childcare needs or do a personalised search on Support in Cornwall’s website

Childcare costs

The Government has launched a website called Childcare Choices, which gives details of the following schemes, including eligibility criteria:

Tax Free Childcare

A new scheme which was introduced by the Government to take the place of Childcare Vouchers. If you’re a working parent with children under 12 (or under 17 for disabled children), you can open an online account to pay for registered childcare. The government will top up the money you pay into the account. For every £8 you pay in, the government will add an extra £2. You can receive up to £2,000 per child per year – that’s up to £500 every three months. If you have a disabled child, you can receive up to £4,000 per child – that’s up to £1,000 every three months.

Free Childcare Hours
  • 15 Hours free childcare for 38 weeks for 2-year-olds. For eligible families in England with 2-year-old children who are receiving some forms of benefits/support.
  • 30 Hours free childcare for 38 weeks for 3 and 4-year-olds. For eligible working families in England with 3 and 4-year-old children – some exclusions apply.  For those not eligible for 30 hours there will be 15 hours for 38 weeks.
  • Tax Credits for childcare. For eligible working families in the UK. With children under 16 (or under 17 if disabled).
  • Universal Credit for childcare. For eligible working families claiming Universal Credit, in England, Scotland, and Wales with children under 17.

Further Information including useful calculators can also be found at on the gov.uk website.

Additional Annual Leave Purchase scheme

We may be able to discuss the purchase of additional annual leave (e.g. 2 weeks) with the cost of this spread over a year by way of salary deduction. This can be helpful for those colleagues needing access to more time off during the year. Full details of the policy can be found on the Trust Document Library on the Staff Intranet.

School Term Dates

Click here for full details of School Term dates on the Cornwall Council website.

Working Carers

A carer helps to look after another person who is not able to manage alone. You could be supporting a partner, parent, child, relative, friend or neighbour who is affected by age, disability, physical or mental health problems or substance misuse.

Carers UK

Are you a working Carer? Carers UK give expert advice, information and support. We campaign and innovate to find better ways to reach and support carers

Cornwall Carers Service

Cornwall Carers Service delivers a range of high quality support services for unpaid Carers throughout Cornwall, free of charge. These services include, emotional support, information, advice and guidance, statutory assessment, access to grants, community support, carer specific training and dedicated services for Young Adult Carers (16-25 year old Carers) and Young Carers.

Teenagers

The following provides links to other organisations to help young people and/or their parents/guardian with issues and information specific to their age group. We are keen to hear your views and would ask you to please contact the Wellbeing Team with any ideas or information that you would like to see here.

The NHS Health Community in Cornwall has no control of the content and upkeep of the following sites and does not constitute an agreement with their views or recommendations.

Family Lives – is a UK registered charity which offers support to anyone parenting a child and covers a multitude of issues from Bullying and Truancy to Teenage Pregnancy, Drugs, University Tuition fees and Divorce to name just a few.

TalkToFrank – For free confidential drugs information and advice 24 hours a day talk to FRANK on 0800 77 66 00. If you’re deaf you can Text phone FRANK on 0800 917 8765.

YAY LGBTQ Youth Cornwall – The Youth Group for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Questioning young people up to the age of 25 whom live, work, are at school or college in Cornwall.

Remember you can always speak to your Health Visitor who can provide help and advice on parenting issues.

Useful contacts and links

The Wellbeing Team has compiled the following list of links to other organisations that may be of use to you. The NHS Health Community in Cornwall has no control of the content and upkeep of these sites and does not constitute an agreement with their views or recommendations.

Childcare
Adoption
Pregnancy & Birth
Financial

Staff-only information

Please see the supporting page on our intranet for staff-only information, including (but not limited to) access codes, login information, further links or details. Search for ‘Work with us’ or ‘Supporting information’

Page last reviewed: 31 March 2023

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