Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
The Annual Report for Sefton Councils Active Workforce programme.
Citation preview
if you would like further information on the Active Workforce programme or activities which are running, contact us on the details below.
tel: 0151 934 2079 Email: [email protected].
Web: www.active-sefton.co.uk twitter: Active Sefton
W O R K F O R C E
w w w. a c t i v e - s e f t o n . c o . u kA c t i v e S e f t o n i s a p a r t n e r s h i p b e t w e e n S e f t o n c o u n c i l , N H S S e f t o n a n d t h e l o c a l v o l u n t a r y a n d c o m m u n i t y s e c t o r s
APRI L 2009 – MARCH 2010
A YEAR OFHEALTH ANDWEL LBE ING
A YEAR OFHEALTH ANDWEL LBE ING
Active Workforce WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? there is growing recognition in the wider public of the need to encourage healthier lifestyles. With this in mind the government has set targets to encourage people to increase their physical activity to levels which will improve health. these recommendations suggest completing 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 times per week. Around 65% of men and 76% of women are not physically active enough to meet these current guidelines. Active Workforce provides the ideal platform for all of our members to make strides towards these targets. We aim to challenge these statistics by offering traditional and alternative opportunities to help participants to increase their physical activity levels and benefit their health.
increasing physical activity helps to prevent and manage over 20 conditions and diseases including cancer, coronary heart disease, diabetes and obesity. it is also widely accepted that a fitter and healthier workforce will be a more productive workforce as the incidence of stress, depression, anxiety and musculoskeletal disorders can be reduced. these conditions represent the largest contributors to sickness absence episodes in the Uk; so it would be reasonable to surmise that increased physical activity levels would have a direct effect upon reducing sickness absence for employers. At any one time around 3% of the working age population are off work due to illness or incapacity, costing the economy over £100 billion per year (Dame carol Blacks review). the average number of sick days in 2009 in the public sector was 9.8 days per employee, accounting for 28 million lost working days across Great Britain. Physical activity programmes such as Active Workforce have been found to reduce absenteeism by up to 20%, with physically active workers taking 27% less sick days (HWWB 2008). research by Price Water House coopers found that well designed wellness programmes can also help to increase job satisfaction and reduce staff turnover by 10 – 25%.
THe BeNefITS Of AcTIve WORkfORceincreasing physical activity levels by joining Active Workforce offers numerous benefits to both employers and employees.
EmployEE BEnEfits• Can assist in weight management and weight loss• Will help to improve your confidence, self-esteem and make you feel better about yourself• Can add quality years to your life• Improves sleep• Improves concentration• Can help to prevent diseases such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes and reduce your blood pressure • Can help to combat symptoms of depression – doing exercise releases endorphins (happy hormones) which will give you a natural high
EmployEr BEnEfits• Healthier employees• Improved morale in the workplace• Reduced absenteeism, therefore reduced costs• Happier employees• Reduced workplace accidents and injuries• Good corporate image – caring employer• Improved concentration, therefore increased productivity• Reduced future employee health risks • Improved motivation and job satisfaction
PARTNeRSthe last 12 months have been a time of unrest in the public sector but when all else around it is suffering cutbacks, the Active Workforce programme is going from strength to strength. organisations have come to realise that by pooling limited resources through Active Workforce, they can reap much greater benefits and wider opportunities than they would do alone.
We would like to thank all of our existing partners for their continued support in facilitating our programme.
During this year Active Workforce has welcomed two new organisations on board as partners: Autism initiatives in April and later Mersey care NHS trust in June and we relish the challenge of getting their employees more healthy and active.
this year the programme has touched even more lives, with the numbers signing up to the programme increasing from 2,598 in April 2009 to 4,520 in March 2010.
WHAT ’S ON OffeR? employees can access eight excellent fitness suites, any of five swimming pools and a range of activity classes. those looking for an alternative to traditional gym based activities have been able to access classes in Yoga, Ballroom Dancing, tai chi and Pedometer challenges. Active Workforce also promote team building through events such as the 5k challenge, dragon boat racing and team challenge events. This years 5k challenge took place at the picturesque crosby Lakeside Adventure centre soon after its opening in September. Approximately 220 individuals took part in teams of five, with abilities ranging from walkers to those chasing personal bests.
Active Workforce also provides the employees of participating organisations with access to health assessments, a range of healthy lifestyle seminars and weight management courses. every member also receives monthly health newsletters and updates designed to motivate and educate people to take part in regular physical activity. Added in the last 12 months the “Back to Sport” programme and sports leagues have been hugely successful at engaging individuals who loved the activity at school and have been looking for the opportunity to re-ignite that passion.
lifEstylE rEfErral programmE championed by the Active Workforce team during the last 12 months, 26 employees from partner organisations have been referred for a personalised 14 week programme of activity and advice. of those referred, an impressive 69% completed the three month programme. Previously only available through occupational health units, the lifestyle referral programme has opened its doors to referrals directly from GP’s to help organisations without occupational health teams to reap the benefits of the programme.
fAcILITIeS over half of the Active Workforce members have taken advantage of the reduced rate leisure facility membership which provides unlimited access to swimming, fitness suites and a wide range of activity classes.
the participating Active Workforce leisure facilities are:• Bootle Leisure Centre• Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre• Crosby Leisure Centre• Dunes Splash World• Formby Pool• Litherland Sports Park• Meadows• Netherton Activity Centre
improved mood
Better sleep
improved self-Esteem
Would you recommend active Workforce to a colleague?
Active Workforce Annual evaluation report 2010
reduced stress
more energy
Do you think the programme is good value for money?
Weight loss
Members reported signifi cant improvements in sleep patterns, more energy levels and improved self esteem.
All members felt the scheme off ers good value for money, and would recommend the scheme to colleagues.
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100% Agree
Disagree
Don’t Know
No Change
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Agree
Disagree
Don’t Know
No Change
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100% Agree
Disagree
Don’t Know
No Change
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100% Agree
Disagree
Don’t Know
No Change
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100% Agree
Disagree
Don’t Know
No Change
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Yes
No
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Yes
No
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Agree
Disagree
Don’t Know
No Change
over 60% have lost weight.
PuTTINg A fAce TO THe NAMe
over the past year there have been a variety of new projects and activities for active Workforce members to participate in as well as new faces joining the team. Below we have highlighted a few of the most recent activities with feedback from our members as well as featuring the profile of one of the team.
andy leadbetter (Development officer) joined the active Workforce team in april 2009 and seeks out new business
ventures, partners and support initiatives as he looks at the health of the borough and works to improve access to physical activity opportunities for all. putting andy under the spot light, he explains his involvement in active Workforce and the role the programme plays in helping to improve employee health and reduce health inequalities in sefton through initiatives such as the Community Weight management programme.
Q. What brought you to the Development officer post at sefton?A. My initial background was in health and exercise working in a health club for 6 years. i am a trained fitness instructor and i have a Degree in Sports Development and coaching from Sheffield Hallam University. i left the health and fitness industry and started a sales job with a security firm where i worked for 2 years. i found i was missing working in the health and fitness industry, which led me to my current post working with Active Workforce.
Q What prompted you to go on the Community Weight management training- volunteer or pushed?!A. A bit of both really- i felt it was part of my role anyway and it appealed to me. i have completed training from the Wright Foundation, which gave me a Level 3 qualification in exercise referral. this cWM training was further experience and knowledge where i could help with improving health and fitness across the area. Also some of my colleagues had already completed the cWM training and are running courses themselves, so it all fits together.
Q. What is the structure and interaction/ dependency of sefton Council with active Workforce and active lifestyles?A. Active Workforce is a scheme delivered by Sefton Leisure and tourism Department and Active Sefton is the umbrella
term over all of our programmes. All of our teams work together and the programmes compliment each other to offer our customers a wide range of services. this relationship is probably closest between Active Workforce and the Active Lifestyles teams. the Active Lifestyles team deliver a range of health promotion services such as targeted 14-week physical activity programmes, 6 and 12 week weight management programmes and specialist nutritional advice through a Dietitian. As this was the first male only cWM course there was probably a 50/50 split of participants from Active Workforce and Active Lifestyles. Within the Active Sefton team we like to get the whole family involved, overlapping programmes like Active totz and Active kidz with the adult elements to help improve the health of those aged 1 – 101 years old.
Q. What made you choose to do an all male CWm group?A. i thought that there might be justification for an all male group, as in the past i had noticed that there were many all female weight management groups, whether by chance or specifically set up that way. i felt that there was a demand for a male only group and that men would engage more without female presence, as maybe some men were put off by female dominated groups.
Q. How did you set up your group?A. We advertised through all Active Workforce organisations to see what response we would get and also took referrals from Active Lifestyles. We got a good response from all sectors, ages and employment or unemployed. the majority of men who registered have completed the course and took positive things from it.
Q. What is an ‘all male’ dynamic like?A. its turned out to be really good and enjoyable. the group all interacted really well. they talked amongst themselves, carried out the group work and brought in their folders each week for participant work. they didn’t seem phased or shy and reflected amongst themselves as needed. Surprisingly too, its not only women that can talk lots, for on occasions i had to move the session on as it was hard to stop the talking!
ScORINg A gOLdeN gOAL
the Active Workforce 7-a-side football League took place from September 2009 to March 2010. ten teams participated from our different partner organisations, engaging over one hundred individuals. olympic tSD from capita Symonds and Sefton council partnership were crowned champions with a mammoth effort over the twenty-four weeks that the league was running.
on completion of the league, positive supportwas received by all:
• 100% of respondents rated the booking arrangements as excellent or good• 82% of respondents rated the suitability of the centre as excellent• 91% of respondents rated the cleanliness of the centre as excellent or good• 100% of respondents rated the staff attitude as excellent or good• 82% of respondents rated the equipment provided as good or excellent• 82% of respondents rated the pre planning of the event as excellent
‘BAck TO NeTBALL’
the first of the ‘Back To…’ activities to be run by the Active Workforce team were the Back to Netball sessions which proved very popular with the Active Workforce teams.
Here keri Stanton (Active Workforce Development officer) meets the Dolly Mixtures to ask them about their involvement in the programme.
Q. How did you get involved with the active Workforce scheme?
A. through receiving emails from Active Workforce and the netball training was advertised through work.
Q. How did you form your team?
A. We met other people who were also attending the ‘Back to Netball’ sessions and we also invited friends who could be involved in the team.
Q. How many years has it been since some of your team have played netball?
A. for some of the team it has been almost ten years but for most of us it was around four or five years.
Q. Were all of your team physically active before taking part in the Back to netball sessions?
A. No, not all members were physically active. We did have some players who were members of the gym but the majority of us joined to become more active.
Q. after the netball league has finished has your team planned to continue to play anywhere else?
A. Yes, the team are currently playing in the chesterfield Netball Summer League on a Wednesday evening and we attend Arch Bishop Beck ‘Back to Netball’ sessions on a Monday evening.
Q. Have you recommended this scheme to anyone else?
A. Yes get involved because there are plenty of opportunities available!
Q. What have been the major benefits in taking part in these sessions?
A. there are many including becoming more fit and active, being part of a team and making new friends and then being able to develop the team further to progress.
Q. What would you say to someone who was thinking about joining a ‘Back to sport’ session who might be nervous after a long break from physical activity?
A. Go along and give it a go, you have nothing to lose and will enjoy it. Your confidence will increase as you will be coached and supported along the way.
“The event was well organised and good fun. Well done to Andy for getting this up and running, for the planning and for maintaining the league tables”
“very well organised, planned and executed. The league has provided a great opportunity for team building within our organisation, bringing employees together from different departments, all of which had no direct cost to participants.”
“I thought the whole thing was fantastic and would love to be a part of it again”
“credit to Andy for organising everything”
w w w. s e f t o n . g o v. u k /a c t i v e w o r k f o r c ew w w. a c t i v e - s e f t o n . c o . u kfor more details please visit:
OR
OneVisionHOUSING
Sefton council and the Active Workforce team would like to thank nHs sefton, one Vision Housing, aintree University Hospitals nHs foundation trust, shop Direct, Capita symonds, arvato, sefton CVs and sefton new Directions for their ongoing support of Active Workforce.
A warm welcome is also extended to our new partners for 2009/10autism initiatives UK and mersey Care nHs trust.
if you would like further information on the Active Workforce programme or activities which are running, contact us on the details below.
tel: 0151 934 2079 Email: [email protected].
Web: www.active-sefton.co.uk twitter: Active Sefton
