Improving Working Lives for Causeway Health and Social

Services Trust Staff

Anne-Marie Doherty

Health Promotion Services Manager

Overview of Presentation

•Profile of Trust

•Strategic context

•Health and well being at work strategy

•University of Ulster evaluation

•Current situation

Causeway Trust

•Statutory health care organisation in Northern Ireland

•Acute hospital services - Causeway Hospital (235 beds) opened 2001

•Community health care and social services

•Over 3000 staff

•Resident population 100,000 increases at holiday periods etc

Strategic Context

•Investing for Health Strategy (2002)

•Working for Health (2003) - A long-term workplace health strategy for Northern Ireland

•Employer of Choice (2002) A strategy for managing and developing people in Health and Personal Social Services

•Standards for health promotion in hospital - standard 4 “Promoting a healthy workplace” WHO (2004)

“Many risk factors are interrelated and can be best tackled through comprehensive, integrated programmes in appropriate settings where people live, work and interact. Each setting must be looked at critically and the potential for creating environments which support good health assessed.”

(P.134) Investing for Health Strategy 2002

“This strategy should not just be about stopping people being made ill by work. It must also be about assisting those who are out of work, due to illness, to return to work.”

(P.2) Working for Health Strategy 2003

The Employer of Choice

Minister’s Forward

“These initiatives are very laudable in their own right but wholly unachievable without the necessary strategy in place to give them life.”

“An effective HPSS Human Resources Strategy is central to the delivery of a modern, responsive, person centered HPSS.”

Bairbre de Brun Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety

Causeway Health and Well Being at Work Strategy

•Evolved from Employer of Choice May 2002

Section 4 Improving working lives Key priorities:

>to develop and sustain an “employee friendly” workplace

>to provide a healthy workplace for all staff

>to maintain a safe working environment

>to raise awareness and maintain effective arrangements for HPSS staff to report unsafe practices

•Director of Human Resources and staffside officer developed proposal for senior management team (SMT)

•November 2002 - SMT endorsed establishment of Health and Well Being Steering GroupSteering Group

Jacinta Melaugh - Chair

Peter Crook - Assistant Director Corporate Support

Anne-Marie Doherty - Health Promotion Manager

Audrey Douglas - Assistant Director Acute Hospital Services

Angela Higgins - Occupational Health

Alison Hume - Senior Nurse Manager

Wilma McIlroy - Assistant Director Human Resources

Edith Neale - Staffside Officer

Geraldine Bradley - Staffside

•Health and well being/improving working lives strategy to be developed.

•Independent evaluation of organisation was proposed.

•Funding obtained - independent evaluator commissioned.

Aim of the Study

To investigate the current practice of, and potential for, further

development in the role of a health promoting employer.

The Study•Literature review

•Documentary analysis of relevant Trust policy

•Quantitative survey of staff perceptions of the Trust as a health promoting employer

•Qualitative study to enhance/embed the results of the survey

•Recommendations

Brief Synopsis of The Staff Survey

•Random sample of 597 staff

•‘Useable’ return of 267 (44.72%)

•88% female

•82% aged 31 - 60

•72.5% married

•48% in post six or more years

•41% part-time

•76% permanent

•51% Causeway Hospital based

Findings

An extensive range of policies in place to address:

- equality and equity

- flexible working

- health related issues

- human resource issues

- management issues

- physical and social working conditions

Findings (Cont.)

•Occupational health service deemed adequate

•Expansion of support service is desired e.g. child care and counselling

• Major issues related to - physical working environment

- effects of staff shortages

- flexible working

Current Position

•Executive summary of research provided to all staff

•Health and well being at work strategy - revised May 2005

•Further consideration given to “lifestyle” issues within the health and well being strategy action plan

•Complementary to other initiatives e.g. Health Promoting Hospitals, Investors in People

Summary

Strategic context

Development of Causeway Trust strategy

Evaluation of the Trust/Research

Current position

Health and Well-being at Work Strategy

February 2004(Updated - May 2005)

“An empowered organisation is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skills, desire and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organisational success.”Stephen Covey (1927 - )