Looking after our staff and supporting their health and wellbeing
An overview of the importance of promoting staff health and wellbeing and providing services to support them.
The NHS is the biggest employer in Wales, providing a significant contribution to both the national and local economy. The next five years will be a critical period of transformation in health and care services in Wales. As highlighted in the A Healthier Wales a sea-change in the way services are designed and delivered is vital. The workforce is key to both driving change and putting the NHS in Wales on a sustainable footing.
Key points
- A Healthier Wales stated that “our staff, their skills, experience and values, are fundamental to a successful NHS and social care system” adding that there needs to be a renewed emphasis on supporting the health and wellbeing of the workforce. This aspect was highlighted in the Parliamentary Review where it was recognised that “a key factor in delivering high quality health and social care is the wellbeing and engagement of staff”, with the recommendation being that this should be given focus through the quadruple aim which has an expressed dimension which notes that we need “to enrich the wellbeing, capability and engagement of the health and social care workforce”.
- In taking this forward, A Healthier Wales set out an action to “make NHS Wales an exemplar employer in its support for wellbeing at work and a healthy workforce, building on work that is already underway in the NHS. We want to see the NHS leading change in this area across health and social care, and into other sectors, by sharing good practice, guidance, and online promotion and evaluation tools.”
- Health Boards and Trusts have been working in partnership with Trade Unions to develop a new approach to the health and wellbeing and this paper sets out how renewed foundations have been put in place to support NHS Wales becoming an exemplar employer in its support for wellbeing at work and to develop a healthy workforce.
