1. Health and Work Champions: Creating culture change in healthcare
19 June 2017
Karin Bishop, Assistant Director - Professional Practice, RCOT
Genevieve Smyth, Professional Advisor, RCOT
Helen Lycett, Health and Work Champion
Hayley Bannister, Health and Work Champion

2. This session will cover:
What are Health and Work Champions?
Could you be a Health and Work Champion?
Personal experience of being a Health and Work Champion
Discussion time – how do you and your colleagues ask about employment aspiration? A

3. What are Health and Work Champions?
Health and Work Champions are part of a national project to upskill the NHS workforce about health and work.
In NHS services across England they are delivering a training package to the clinical workforce.
The project is part of the Health, Work and Disability Green Paper: Improving lives, which outlines the government’s ten year plan to close the disability employment gap.
Working in partnership with PHE to change health practitioners attitudes towards disabled people, aging people, people with LTCs and employment
NHS workforce is the 5th largest in the world and employs 1.3 million people. It deals with one million patient every 36 hours

4. Health and Work Champions
25 Health and Work Champions across the NHS in England
All completed training in 2016 and are delivering sessions in their NHS employing organisation to other healthcare professionals
Targeting the large workforce groups such as nurses, doctors and allied health professionals
They advertise and deliver a standardised package of training up to two hours long
Collecting evaluation data for Salford University
Use of peer support A
Mainly occupational therapists and one psychologist
Project is supported by the Council for Work and Health

5. Health and Work Champions

6. Health and Work Champions
List of NHS Trusts Taking Part in this Pilot
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
Northern Lincolnshire & Goole NHS Foundation Trust
Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust
North East London NHS Foundation Trust
Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust
Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
West London Mental Health NHS Trust
South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust
Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust
Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust A
Some organisations have more than one Champion

7. Learning outcomes for professionals who attend training from a Health and Work Champion
Understand the relationship between health and work
Recognise the clinical potential of asking about work status
Knowledge of ways to discuss work in clinical settings
How to appropriately refer and signpost service users for support
1 –not just understanding the relationship between bad work and bad health but the positive relationship between good work and good health. There is good evidence for this positive relationship. Good work means autonomy, control, supportive working relationships
2 – ask about work because it is a good holistic measure of how service users are responding in their everyday life to their health condition.
3 – how to ask when someone is in employment but struggling, when they are in employment but off sick and when they are not in employment
4 – we are not trying to turn them into experts but given them the confidence to raise the question and then signpost on this if they need more help. Champions can insert local information about services available.
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8. Could you be a Health and Work Champion?
Recruitment currently open until 31 July 2017
To apply send CV, statement detailing how you meet the volunteer role description, indication from your employer that they will support you in the role.
Successful candidates will have to attend training on either 7 September and the 8 December OR the 25 September and the 15 December in London.
We have a briefing paper and copies of the JD available.
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9. Could you be a Health and Work Champion?
After initial training you will be expected to deliver free training to your colleagues in your employing organisation and will collect feedback about your training. Due to funding this role is currently only open to those working in England.
This is a voluntary role!
We have a briefing paper and copies of the JD available.
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10. Could you be a Health and Work Champion?
Send applications to
More information at:
occupational-therapy/health- and-work-champions-promoting- health
Come and see us on the RCOT stand!
Explain that by the end of the session they should be knowledgeable about these four areas.
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11. Personal experience of being a Health and Work Champion…
Helen Lycett
Strategic Trust Lead for Occupational Therapy and Allied Health Professionals,
West London Mental Health NHS Trust
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12. Personal experience of being a Health and Work Champion…
Hayley Bannister
Lead Occupational Therapist,
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
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13. Any questions?

14. Discussion time… How do you and your colleagues ask the work question?
What do you do with the information?
Do you feel that your colleagues routinely ask working age adults about their employment aspirations?
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15. Karin.Bishop@rcot.co.uk Genevieve.Smyth@rcot.co.uk

16. Your RCOT Professional Advisors - come and talk to us
Karina Dancza
@KarinaDancza
Genevieve Smyth @GenevieveSmyth
Paul Cooper @PaulCooperOT
Anne Keen
@annekeen55
Karin Orman @KarinOrmanOT