Making it easier for employees with Type 2 diabetes to access diabetes education courses at work

Published on October 9, 2019 and last updated on May 30, 2020 by Rahel Gerezgiher

Making it easier for employees with Type 2 diabetes to access diabetes education courses at work

In the second phase of the ‘Think Diabetes’ project, we have partnered with two London-based employers to promote diabetes structured education for employees diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Written by Don Shenker, Diabetes Senior Project Manager

Our Think Diabetes Summit held on 14 June encouraged employers to promote diabetes structured education to their workforce to support employees living with diabetes to be better informed about how to manage their condition. Our Think Diabetes report noted that less than 10% of individuals diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes who are offered structured education from their GP actually go onto access the course. One of the reasons may well be a reluctance from employees to take time off work – or not having the flexibility to fit in education around work hours.

We have recently teamed up with Transport for London (TfL) and the London Ambulance Service (LAS) to pilot access to both remote/online courses and face-to-face on-site courses for employees diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. This means any employee living with diabetes will be able to complete a course either remotely or during work time, without having to take time off. The courses will be promoted via LAS and TfL’s internal wellbeing newsletters and are being funded through the NHS Diabetes Transformation Fund.

There is good evidence that attending a structured diabetes course improves health and reduces complications by focusing on understanding diabetes, improving diet and stressing the importance of a healthy lifestyle. The pilot courses will be delivered by NHS approved providers OurPath, Oviva and Kingston NHS Foundation Trust.

In order to evaluate the pilot, we will be conducting a survey and focus group for course attendees and tracking anonymised BMI and weight data. It is hoped that around 100 employees will access a course either remotely or on-site. Key questions will focus on whether this approach via the workplace made it any easier to attend a course and what further steps employers could take to promote education for employees living with diabetes. We will also evaluate the level of demand for the courses and which category of workers have attended or asked for a course.

The pilot went live on 1 October and results will be available in March 2020.

For further information, contact Don Shenker, Diabetes Project Manager (don.shenker@nsh.net)

Invitation to pitch: digital workforce transformation showcase

Published on April 24, 2019 and last updated on May 30, 2020 by Rahel Gerezgiher

Invitation to pitch: digital workforce transformation showcase

We all know that the NHS is facing increasing demands on its services. Alongside the challenges of recruiting and retaining clinical professionals, there is a role for technology as a driver of productivity within the clinical workforce.

Working in collaboration with NHS England, and NHS Improvement, the DigitalHealth.London Accelerator is running a showcase event for HR Directors exploring how technology can help NHS staff and employers to improve workforce productivity, recruitment and retention.

We are looking for ten companies to present their innovations, and in particular, innovations that are already being used by NHS employers and that meet workforce challenges including:

Recruitment / time to hire
HR transactional tasks / HR productivity
Workforce capacity management / clinical workforce productivity
Retention
Staff wellbeing (physical and mental health)

If selected, you will give a three-minute pitch to the audience on how they could adopt your innovation(s) in their organisations. You will also participate in our “world café” session to discuss your solution in more detail. We aim to help you generate warm leads by curating a receptive audience for workforce innovations.

We are looking for innovations that are already well-developed – this is not an event for innovations at the idea stage.

Please apply to take part by downloading and completing this short form and returning it to geraldine.murphy8@nhs.net by 5pm on Friday 10 May.

Event details

Date and time: Tuesday 11 June, 17:00 – 20:30
Venue: DAC Beachcroft, Walbrook Building, 25 Walbrook, EC4N 8AF

Agenda

16:30-17:00 Registration
17:00- 17:05 Welcome
17:05-17:15 Clinical Productivity – Andy Howlett, Clinical Productivity Operations Director, NHS England / Improvement
17:15-17:25 Can technology and artificial intelligence help to improve workforce productivity and create a more agile workforce? What can be done now? – Lesley Soden, Head of Innovation, Health Innovation Network
17:25-17:35 NHS Trust Case Study: Lessons from transforming our medical workforce – Alfredo Thompson, HR Director, North Middlesex Hospitals NHS Trust; Dr Frances Evans, Medical Director, North Middlesex Hospitals NHS Trust
17:35-17:50 Q&A
17:50-18:20 Company pitches
18:20-18:30 Close – Lesley Soden, Head of Innovation, Health Innovation Network
18:30-20:00 Refreshments and networking

Health Innovation Network awarded ‘excellence’ level of London Healthy Workplace Charter

Published on November 14, 2017 and last updated on May 30, 2020 by Rahel Gerezgiher

Health Innovation Network awarded ‘excellence’ level of London Healthy Workplace Charter

Following the success of the Health Innovation Network’s (HIN) ‘Commitment’ and ‘Achievement’ award, we are pleased to announce that the HIN has been awarded top level of ‘Excellence’ in the London Healthy Workplace Charter following an assessment which took place on 31 October. The Charter gives recognition to organisations that have put in place a range of systems to support employees, and create opportunities to cultivate happier and healthier workplace.

With approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK experiencing a mental health problem each year¹ and 8.9 million working days lost due to work-related musculoskeletal disorders in 2016/17², organisations have become more proactive in ensuring staff wellbeing is at the forefront in all that they do. The HIN has been leading the way with various initiatives that have been specifically put in place to support its workforce, such as:

Free yoga and mindfulness classes
Standing up desks
Mental health awareness training
Access to showers to encourage physical exercise, such as cycling to work
Book and running clubs
Opportunities to trial and feedback on wellbeing apps, such as, Headspace, My Possible Self and LiveSmart.

For more information on the charter, please contact Eric Barratt on ericbarratt@nhs.net

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