Looking after staff health and wellbeing

We understand how important personal health and wellbeing is to our staff. If staff are healthy and feeling well then they are better able to care for patients, service users, carers and families.

As part of our commitment to staff, LPFT has its own Staff Wellbeing Service. The team can offer assessment, intervention and support across a wide range of conditions.
LPFT’s Staff Wellbeing Service and Hub provides confidential and discreet support, interventions, and specific therapy to staff employed by LPFT. This can help to improve physical and psychological wellbeing, and manage stress and the emotional demands of work. We also offer support with Long-Term Conditions which may impact on work and personal life, including the management of pain and fatigue.

The service provides all Trust staff with the opportunity to have early access to psychological therapy based on NICE guidelines for anxiety, depression and trauma. It also provides fast track access to physiotherapy for musculoskeletal problems. This may be with our MSK specialist physiotherapist or private Physiotherapy and Chiropractic clinics across the county.

For staff who are struggling to maintain work or who are absent through ill health, the service has an Employment Support Pathway which aims to offer immediate support within five working days of receipt of referral, followed by a further assessment from an Occupational Therapist. This assessment considers specific work factors in conjunction with any health-related issues impacting on the person and will be carried out in collaboration with the person and as appropriate, their manager, Human Resources, and other professionals involved in the staff member’s care.

Support is offered on a one to one, group and team basis as appropriate. A staff member’s difficulties do not need to be work-related for them to be seen within the service. We offer the service in the understanding that all areas of life have the potential to impact on a person’s functioning at work and healthy staff have better outcomes for their service users, patients, and carers. 

The Staff Wellbeing Service also has a dedicated and specialist clinician to support staff members who are experiencing or who have experienced domestic abuse.  
In addition to individual support and therapy, we also offer various workshops. These workshops are open to everyone, including bank staff, volunteers, and governors.

The Trust have a range of policies to help staff. These include generous maternity, paternity, adoption, carer and special leave policies. We also offer, where possible, a flexible work-life balance, such as:

• job sharing
• employment breaks
• flexi-time
• unpaid leave
• reduced hours

Other initiatives we offer are:

• A range of staff benefits including a Cycle to Work scheme, eye vouchers for staff who are display screen users, financial wellbeing support, home electronics and white goods, and car leasing.
• Phased return to work – if unfortunately staff have had to be on long-term sickness absence and are returning to work, the Trust will actively support them through an agreed and planned return to work programme.
• Occupational health services – we provide a free and confidential occupational health service for all Trust staff. The service can support with:
  • advice on health promotion
  • advice to staff and managers about potential adjustments to work to help maintain attendance at work 
  • advice on long-term sickness absence