Staff Wellbeing Support

At NHS Lothian Charity, we know how much dedication and hard work goes into caring for patients every day. Your wellbeing matters – not just for you, but for the people you care for. A healthy, supported workforce means better individual health, better patient care, and a stronger NHS.

That’s why we work closely with NHS Lothian leadership to make sure additional wellbeing support is accessible to all staff, no matter your role, department, or location. Our aim is to enhance the support already available, help to create a positive working culture and provide resources that support you.

If we are unable to support your request through the funding streams we manage, we may direct you to the staff wellbeing microgrant programme currently administered on behalf of the Charity by NHS Lothian’s HR & OD department.

What We Can Support

We welcome applications for funding that help teams take care of themselves and each other. Here are our general principles for funding staff wellbeing support:

We recognise the value of gifts as a thank you or expression of gratitude to staff and are committed to a larger wellbeing agenda that has the ability to positively influence working culture and wellbeing in a sustained way.

We recognise the significant evidence about what benefits wellbeing, both in general and specifically in the workplace, and have embedded this into the thematic areas we will support. (see below)
We recognise that one size does not fit all so are keen to understand the consultation that has gone into any staff wellbeing support proposal that is submitted to us.
We are keen to foster team over individual benefit and will prioritise support for activities, items, etc. that will bring together groups of staff over support for ‘gifts’.
We are committed to impactful/sustained benefit and as a result are keen to focus on items and activity that build resources and resilience in individuals and teams.
As NHS Lothian’s strategic partner (while recognising our distinct role in supporting enhancements and added value), we seek to align with NHS Lothian’s approach to impact, spend and prioritisation.
We acknowledge that grateful patients will donate to certain areas and staff groups in greater number than to others (e.g. frontline staff over less visible but equally important staff). We strive to balance this with a more equitable approach to all staff teams. As a result, we may limit the number of awards per team each year.
We are committed to ensuring that all staff can benefit equally and avoid tax implications of benefit-in-kind support that is not available to all employees.

Thematic Areas We Support

Working together with NHS Lothian’s Work Well Specialist Lead, we have identified a number of key evidence-based, thematic areas that we encourage managers and teams to reflect on when considering an application for charity support from either ward and specific funds or Microgrants. These areas often interact with each other, maximising the impact of any grant made. However, we may also consider applications out with these thematic areas, so please get in touch with your ideas.

Taking a Break

53% of NHS staff say they are unable to take regular breaks . 56% of hospital-based nurses do not take sufficient breaks . Anecdotally, we are told this is for two key reasons: Firstly, staff are unable to take time out due to service pressures, and secondly, due to a long-standing culture of not taking breaks. To help address this, we work with NHS Lothian colleagues to lend support to tests of change and other innovation to aid service pressures and seek to support initiatives that encourage the taking of breaks.

Examples include but are not limited to:

A group activity that brings together a team for a break during the working day.
Improvements to a break room to create a better space for staff to take a break.

Nutrition and Hydration

Eating a balanced diet and staying hydrated are significant issues for many NHS staff with 51% of health professionals in Scotland being overweight or obese . Many factors are identified as contributing to this. 16% of NHS staff said they only have time to grab a snack like crisps or chocolate during shift . 45% of staff were dehydrated at the end of their shift . We welcome applications that would support good nutrition and hydration. Examples include but are not limited to:

Equipment such as kettles to encourage the taking of drinks or food.

Nature Connection

There is significant evidence about the benefits of connecting with nature for improved physical and mental health. As a result, we are keen to support items and activities that encourage outdoor activity and connections to nature. Examples include but are not limited to:

Improvements to outdoor spaces to encourage use.
An outside group activity.

Relaxation Activities

Approximately 40% of all staff sickness absence in the NHS is due to work stress . For 2020-21, approximately 31% of recorded hours due to sickness absence on SSTS were logged against the code of ‘anxiety/ stress/ depression/ other psychiatric illnesses’. We are keen to offer support where we can, to help NHS Lothian’s staff team to destress and would welcome applications that aim to support relaxation for staff to foster better mental health. Examples include but are not limited to:

Talks and presentations to raise awareness and share practical tips.
Self-care books and resources.

Exercise

The mental and physical benefits of exercise are well documented. In June 2019, NICE called for NHS staff to become more active.

We would welcome applications that aim to support staff to get more active. Examples include but are not limited to:

A group activity that gets the team moving
Exercise equipment for break rooms

Under no circumstances should charitable funds be used to pay for alcohol as part of employee wellbeing and development.