NHS Deliver Olympic Legacy in Health, Wellbeing and Performance
Working in a business that seeks to inspire people to raise their personal game when it comes to wellbeing and performance can have some great ‘golden’ moments. None more so than when the results start ticking boxes for the individuals involved and positive lifestyle changes start to make an impact. The NHS is a case in point.
2012 was undoubtedly an inspirational year all round but much has been made in recent months of the Olympic Legacy and the sense that it has not delivered. Well, I guess it really depends where you are looking.
In 2010 Sir David Nicholson, CEO NHS, delivered a huge challenge to the NHS executive community. Using the Olympic and Paralympic Games as the inspiration, he wanted staff to think about their own welfare, not only to improve personal health and wellbeing but also to deliver a better service to their patients. The challenge was accepted and NHS Sport and Physical Activity Challenge took shape.
The Optima-life team were delighted to be involved in a number of activities and events, not least in delivering ‘ Managing Your Mojo’; a programme commissioned by the North West Leadership Academy which targeted NHS leaders. It aimed to give them a personalised perspective on how they were coping physiologically with both the physical and mental demands of work and everyday life.
Optima-life CEO Simon Shepard said;
‘Essentially ‘Managing Your Mojo’ was divided into three elements: ‘Maximising Performance’ which looked at key elements influencing resilience, engagement, health and performance and also included a diagnostic self evaluation tool. Part two featured the Firstbeat Bodyguard and personalised monitoring of individuals over 72 hours with the final strand being feedback, reports and goal setting. I guess you know you are making a difference when you get feedback like this from a CEO of a NHS Foundation Trust Hospital’:
‘My driver to access this course was to identify which was likely to kill me first being a CEO in today’s NHS or simply lifestyle. For me it was lifestyle which won! So I have prioritised where I can, my work life balance, raised my own awareness of stress and how to counterbalance that and take care of myself a little better than before.’
Data on the Optima-life work has been written up in the NHS Confederation document
Going for Gold: Inspiring Results For Workplace Health, Well Being And Performance
http://www.nhsconfed.org/Documents/Going_for_Gold_report_web_SJ170613.pdf
So what about that Olympic legacy for the NHS and the challenge set? Well, you can check out the report to see some fantastic feedback from a number of different areas. One Trust alone found that their Health and Wellbeing Strategy, (run from December 2010 to March 2012) translated into a saving of over £2,000,000, through not least, reduced absenteeism, reduced days lost due to sickness and a reduction in bank, agency and locum spends. Olympic Legacy take a bow.
We have been proud to work on the NHS 2012 Challenge and are delighted to be part of that continuing legacy.
‘Optima-life has been a leading supporter of the NHS 2012 Challenge. Using their unique evaluation of lifestyle, their understanding of sport and their dynamic approach to educating and inspiring health, performance and wellbeing they’ve made a really positive impact on the 2012 Challenge.’
Mike Farrar, CEO NHS Confederation
