‘Let’s Talk About Menopause’ Webinar Success

Healthy Workplaces Derbyshire (HWD) hosted a webinar for county-wide workplaces in partnership with Henpicked - a nationally accredited training provider specialising in all things related to menopause.

Attendees from all sectors (including the public, private and voluntary and community) were well represented with 600+ registrations. 

It was the first time HWD offered an interactive webinar specifically about menopause in the workplace and feedback was overwhelmingly positive - 99% of attendees are happy to recommend the training. Comments included:

“Thank you so much. A really interesting session, well-structured and concise. I feel informed in how to speak to my GP and my manager about how I'm being affected by perimenopause and the support that would help me. Thank you.”

Thank you to everyone who attended. We hope you can pass on the information and knowledge gained from the webinar to friends and colleagues in your workplace.

The Healthy Workplaces Derbyshire Team.

Beat the Heat: Staying Safe in Hot Weather

With summer coming up, now is the time to be prepared for hot weather.

Although hot weather can be seen as a positive, for many it has a real impact on health - nearly 3,000 people died as a result of last year's heatwave.

Anyone can suffer from heat stroke/exhaustion, but some have a higher risk of becoming seriously ill.

It is particularly important to consider the effects of heat if your workplace involves manual labour or people needing to spend extensive time outside.

Protecting staff should be part of workplace planning and may involve changes to usual schedules, or ways of working where possible to avoid the hottest part of the day.

Things to consider include:

• Access to water/fluids throughout the day. 🌊
• Do staff have the right clothes to protect them from the sun, including wide-brimmed hats? 👒
• Is there adequate ventilation, shading/blinds, planting, etc. which can help reduce indoor air temperature? 🎐
• Sharing information with staff, clients, and visitors - view official guidance here 🔗. 
• Signing up for Heat Health Alerts so you know when hot weather is expected, and you should implement changes. Click here 🔗.

Join the Smile Squad - Digital Resources

Derbyshire County Council (DCC) recently launched the children’s oral health campaign: ‘Join the Smile Squad’ to tie in with National Smile Month (May 15^th – June 15^th, 2023).

We hope you will join us in helping to get Derby and Derbyshire's children’s teeth and gums healthy – most oral health issues are preventable with the right routine in place from the beginning of a child’s life.

All campaign assets including posters, e-mailable leaflets and social media content (for both Derbyshire County & Derby City) can be downloaded here. 🔗 These cover oral health in pregnancy and general advice on how to care for your child's teeth. Please feel free to share with any parents, carers and 'parents-to-be' you work with. 

You can also sign up to receive regular emails containing advice about how to look after your oral health, whatever age you are, by clicking here. 🔗 Feel free to share with colleagues too. 

Lastly, you can follow us and help share our messages on social media:

• Twitter 🔗(@DCCPublicHealth)
• Facebook 🔗 (Live Life Better Derbyshire)

Thank you for helping us to support Derbyshire’s oral health!

'Let’s Chat' 2023 Launch

After the successful launch of the 'Let's Chat' campaign in 2022, approximately 700 bench signs were put out across Derbyshire to tackle social isolation and encourage conversations whilst providing mental health support information via a QR Code. 

This year we are relaunching the bench signs movement. With your help, we can reduce the stigma on mental health.

Workplaces across Derby and Derbyshire can order 'public-facing' or 'employee-facing' resources. We would love your support in providing this information, whether it's bench signs, the smaller mental health information signs for gates and fence posts, or even indoor resources.

• To order your 2023 bench and//or fence post signs, please fill in this form 🔗
• You can also order indoor resources by completing this form 🔗
• If you would like your 2022 or 2023 bench signs added to our official map or have any further questions, please email Luke Oldham at: luke.oldham@derbyshire.gov.uk 

Also, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook 🔗 & Twitter 🔗 to keep up-to-date on mental health, suicide prevention and neurodiversity across Derby & Derbyshire.

Finally, you can view our downloadable mental health resources by visiting the link below.

'15 Minutes to Save a Life' Campaign

As of May 2021, 9 people across Derbyshire sadly lost their lives in accidental house fires. The majority of these tragic events affected residents aged 60+ who live alone. 

To raise awareness, Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service have launched the '15-Minute DIY Home Fire Safety Check' campaign. This aims to support anyone in identifying and combating fire-related risks in any household.

Whether you pay a visit before your weekly shop or after your gym session, be sure to take 15 minutes out of your day to support any of your close friends and/or family who are at risk. That one visit could save their lives.

Disability Employment Service

The Disability Employment Service is a 'free of charge' service that supports those with disabilities to find and maintain training, work experience, and both voluntary and paid employment.

We understand employment is not just about money. It provides structure, social contact, and friendships. Having a job also improves a person’s self-esteem and confidence.

Our service helps throughout the employment process. It can signpost to other services for assistance with writing a CV and then looking into an area of work identified by the individual.

We help with applying for the job. Once the application is sent, we prepare you for interviews. Once a person has gained employment, we offer in-work support to ensure employees can work to the best of their ability, either with assisting equipment, or further training.

Although we can't promise that you will get an interview or gain employment, we aim to provide everyone with the opportunity to contribute to a workplace, something that people may have deemed unrealistic or unachievable. We believe everyone deserves the chance to achieve.

If you or someone you know would benefit from our support, you can email us at: disabilityemploymentservice@derbyshire.gov.uk.

You can also view further information by visiting our official page through the link below.

Keeping Your Staff Healthy and Safe

There is an association between exposure to metal fume and pneumococcal disease (for example, pneumonia). Some people (such as welders) who are frequently exposed to metal fume are advised to have a Pneumococcal Vaccine (PPV) due to their occupational risk.

Vaccination may reduce the risk of pneumococcal disease but should not replace the need for measures to prevent or reduce exposure. (More information can be found in: The Green Book of Immunisation: Chapter 25, P9 - Pneumococcal.🔗)

It is important to ensure staff receive information and support to access PPV. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance suggests PPV can be offered via Occupational Health, but workplaces that do not have Occupational Health can advise staff to attend their GP Practice for the vaccine.

EmployAble: Changing Culture

Do you wish to learn more about the best practices to adopt when hiring and retaining staff with a disability? As well as boosting your reputation further as a positive employer? If so, then this FREE event is for you.

EmployAble: Changing Culture will be taking place on 20^th September 2023, from 9 am - 12 noon at the Post Mill Centre, South Normanton, DE55 2EJ.

The event will feature keynote speakers, workshops, fantastic networking opportunities, refreshments and more!

How can I get involved?

To book your place or for further information, please get in touch via email at: employAble@derbyshire.gov.uk. We look forward to seeing you there at the event! 🎉

• What is gambling, gambling prevalence and severity across Derbyshire
• Motivations, risk factors, GRH (Gambling Related Harm)
• Identification, conversation starters, practical MHFA (Mental Health First Aid) approach
• Intervention (both practical short-term and long-term specialist)

Practical activities and case studies will also be included.

How do I book?

To book your place on the course, please visit Derbyshire County Council's official webpage via the link below:

Community Chesterfield - Virtual Networking Sessions for Derbyshire Workplaces

Community Chesterfield is hosting virtual networking sessions over the course of the year to help drive further conversations in your workplace and share our unique experiences on a variety of subjects.

Connect & Reflect 🖇

This is an interactive program which aims to bring the community together by providing a platform to reflect on the everyday experiences we encounter. 

The program also provides the opportunity to expand your network with like-minded individuals and collaborate with others to see how various obstacles can be tackled.

Sessions are hosted every 2 months, with the first event being held on Tuesday 19th July and will cover the 'Reality of Local Recruitment'. This will be offered as a Taster Session, available for FREE to all Derbyshire-based workplaces. Click here 🔗 to book.

Tickets for future sessions can be booked for FREE if you are part of a Derbyshire-based voluntary, third-sector or community workplace (including the NHS). Complimentary tickets are available to both staff and students from the University of Derby too.

If you don't fit the criteria above, tickets are £30 per person. Click here 🔗 to discover more.

Training & Tea ☕

These are interactive, bite-sized, weekly training sessions which are a great way to start your day (and go perfectly with a morning cuppa!) 

Every Wednesday from 09:30 am - 10:15 am, a different topic is covered, ranging from planning your personal development to digital marketing and everything in between!

Places are available for FREE if your workplace is part of the community, voluntary or third sector in either Chesterfield or North East Derbyshire. FREE places are also available to both staff and students from the University of Derby.

If you don't meet the criteria above, tickets are £20 per person. Please visit the following link 🔗 to find out more.

How can you/your workplace support RSE Day 2023?

1. Visit the RSE Day website 🔗 and use the themed resources
2. Retweet the RSE Day Tweets RSE Day (@RSE_day) / Twitter 🔗
3. Share on social media why RSE Day or Kindness are important to you
4. Let someone you work with know what you like about them and how you value them

Let us know what you are planning for RSE Day by filling in this 1-minute form 🔗

Other ideas include: 

• Create a 'kindness wall' - add anonymous accounts of "the kindest thing I’ve seen…" "one kind thing I’d like to see more of …"
• Work alongside an artist or youth worker to create a work of art or video 
• Write kind notes of appreciation to staff/family
• Use a kindness calendar - click here to view. 🔗

Alcohol Awareness Week 

Alcohol Change UK will be hosting Alcohol Awareness Week from 3^rd - 9^th July and aims to get the UK "thinking about drinking". This year's chosen theme is 'Alcohol and Cost'. 

The average UK household will consume approx. £744 yearly on alcohol (ONS, April 2021 - March 2022 🔗). Collectively, the total cost of alcohol to the UK society equates to £21 billion annually. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the matter, with alcohol death rates peaking at the highest level since records began.

Alcohol Awareness Week aims to combat the ongoing issue by highlighting the risks and costs associated with excessive alcohol consumption and its impact not only on our family and friends but our overstretched NHS too.

Want to learn more and get your workplace involved in raising awareness? Be sure to join the 5,000 workplaces and teams already signed up for the campaign below and receive your FREE digital resources to promote the event, including posters, social media content and more! 

Cycle to Work Day

This year, Cyclescheme will be celebrating the 10^th Anniversary of 'Cycle to Work Day' - the UK's largest cycling event on the 4^th of August.

Cycling itself is a great activity to help lower stress, cut down on the cost of the daily commute and burn calories, whilst reducing pollution to the environment. Whether you are a biking veteran or just starting out, Cyclescheme welcomes everybody on board.

What's more, to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the event, Cyclescheme has a variety of prizes up for grabs. This includes a top prize of £1,800 to spend at Freewheel, bike hire memberships, bike locks and more!

To take part and have a chance of winning a cycling-themed prize, sign up for Cyclescheme's FREE online 'Love to Ride' community below and log the details of your activity on the day of the event. 

Our vision is the sense we are scared of losing the most. However, not all of us are aware of how to preserve our eyesight for as long as possible. Regular sight tests can uncover conditions such as glaucoma, which can be cured if discovered early enough. This is what 'National Eye Health Week' is all about.

Want to promote the event in your workplace? Follow the event's official Twitter page 🔗 so you can be amongst the first to know when this year's digital resources are available.

You can sign up for Vision Matter's official newsletter and access 'supporter resources' by getting in touch via email at: info@visionmatters.org.uk or visiting the official website below.

Stay Connected with HWD

Want to stay in touch? Follow us on our official social media pages below:

• Twitter 🔗
• Facebook 🔗

You can also contact us via email at: healthy.workplaces@derbyshire.gov.uk for general enquiries and/or to submit an article for the next edition (October - December) of our newsletter.  A member of our team will get back to you shortly.