Cost of Living Crisis

We will explore ways in which we can support our workforce through the cost-of-living crisis. We will support partners to encourage staff to speak confidentially about problems. We will ensure that everyone working in the Wakefield Health and Social Care System has access to impartial support on financial management and welfare rights.

We will support the use of flexible home-working so that staff can make savings in travel costs. Others may prefer to work from the office, saving money on home heating and utilities. As all employees’ finances will be impacted differently, partners will be encouraged to offer flexibility and consider employee requests on a case-by-case basis.

We will look at the current staff benefit arrangements and explore ways in which we can enhance the benefits currently being offered to staff. This could include: help with transport costs, salary sacrifice,  discount vouchers and financial education.

The Wakefield People Board will support the development of hybrid working so that staff can benefit from flexible working arrangements, reducing isolation and delivering  professional supervision

Staff Surveys

We will collate available system data such as staff surveys to better understand how to support staff. Building on the output of the West Yorkshire Health and Wellbeing Summit in May 2021 we will explore and implement initiatives that enable the creation of a positive culture of health and wellbeing. We will support the development of leadership support circles, wellbeing conversations, masterclasses, and communications campaigns. We will support system-wide group-based interventions such as Schwartz rounds.

We will utilise the annual staff survey and follow-up spot surveys to identify staff cohorts that are struggling with the cost of living.

Carers Passports

We will support a place-based approach to working carers passports. The aim here is to achieve wider take-up of passports and recognise the contribution that informal carers make to the health and social care economy.

Mapping support available to staff

We will map the utilisation of health and well-being support being offered across Wakefield and identify potential barriers to access. This will give us a full picture of impact, and how data can be used to drive continual improvement.

Other issues

The local programme on this pillar will coordinate a system-wide approach on the following key areas:

• Development of a dedicated Musculoskeletal (MSK) Service for frontline health and social care staff
• Coordinated approach to the recruitment, training, and networking of Mental Health First Aiders
• Recruitment and development of value-based Ambassadors, including a Wakefield network that provides peer support
• Supporting staff impacted by COVID-19 with ongoing symptomology
• Embed our commitment staff wellbieng and a collective approach to supporting our staff

Engagement

We sent a questionnaire to the Partner Organisations to understand their priorities for Staff Health and Wellbeing and we formed the Pillar Objectives around those.

Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs)

• We formed a task and finish group with representatives from across place.
• A proposal is being submitted to the People Alliance in November on a minimum level of mental health support for all the workforce.
• We are working with the West Yorkshire Mental Health Hub to develop a MHFA Network for support and development of the role.
• We are developing this minimum level of support to increase over time.

MSK support

• We formed a task and finish group with representatives from across place.
• A survey was sent out to all partners on existing and aspirational levels of Occupational Health Support.
• A paper will be submitted to the People Alliance in December to propose an MSK service for the whole workforce.

Cost of living support

• We sent out a cost of living survey to partner organisations
• We joined a financial advice and support scheme called Money Buddies
• We socialised the cost of living support available to place on 1 September
• We will continue to socialise the Money Buddies scheme across Wakefield District

Health and wellbeing socialisation

• We socialised the Mental Health Hub by email to all partner organisations.
• A link to the Mental Health Hub is now on Wakefield Hub.
• We are developing leaflets for use in the induction process across place.

Team building events

• We developed a model for outdoor team building sessions with the voluntary sector as our providers.