DRSS Wellbeing Champions have been busy implementing staff wellbeing over the last 12 months including supporting staff during the pandemic. Here’s some of the amazing work they have been engaged with:

• Implemented wellbeing huddles for all shielded staff week commencing 13/04/20
  • Daily calls to provide a support network for staff – staff sharing experiences and tips etc.
  • Option to dial in
  • Supported by a Wellbeing Champion who can signpost and escalate any concerns etc.
  • Broadened the wellbeing huddles out to all staff working from home w/c 29/04 these were open 2 days a week for this cohort of staff
  • Reduced huddles down to 3 times a week end of August and now run twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays)
  • Any staff that go into isolation are added for the isolation period
• Wellbeing Champions made 1-1 calls to all shielded staff and all staff permanently working from home
  • All contacted by 22/05/20
  • Second contacts made in July/Aug
  • Third contact being planned for October
• ‘Our Space’ launched 16/04/20
  • This is a space on MS Teams setup by the Health and Wellbeing Champions to share resources. This information is regularly updated.
  • It is used for signposting to EAP, Mental health support, Mindfulness apps etc.
  • The 5 ways to wellbeing are used for themes of articles. There have been over 30 articles published, just some example of articles are;
    • Be active – home exercise
    • Take Notice – Working from home checklist
    • Connect – Working from home with children / Build connections with the use of video calls
    • Keep Learning – Learning about Laughing
    • Give – The Giving Tree

• Pass the Positivity
  • Anonymous platform for staff to give compliments to one another, share their gratitude
  • Last counted over 100 messages had been shared
• Staff Survey – reviewed DRSS staff survey and made recommendations
• Mindfulness training opportunities
• Care Package – all shielded staff received a care package which contained various items including tips for gardening indoors, bird watching, colouring – this was for a boost to morale for those that had been cut off for so long.

Positive feedback from DRSS staff includes:-

“Yes, thank you, I personally am finding the Wellbeing Huddles extremely useful.

‘Working from home does make you feel quite ‘out of the loop’ and I am missing coming in to the office. The huddles have become a supportive and protected space.’

‘It has become clear that all of the staff making regular use of this support are finding it a safe space to express any fears or frustrations that we come across while shielding with the added problems and obstacles that we come up against working from home.’

‘The whole team have been amazing and very supportive and I for one am very grateful to the wellbeing team to give up their time to put these huddles together as it really does have such a positive impact on your wellbeing.’

‘This is welcome downtime in what can be busy, stressful days which we might not have taken a break from and do not initially realise the benefit until after. Just talking about coping mechanisms and tips can make a huge difference, just knowing that you are not the only one experiencing these issues is therapeutic in itself.’

‘A big thank you to the Wellbeing team and all my fellow staff who are on these calls who brighten my day!’

Quote from Charley Roberts, Wellbeing Champion Advisor:-

‘We would just like to say a huge thank you to Devon Referral Support Service for working extremely hard to support their colleagues in difficult circumstances and for sharing their news with Wellbeing at Work.  You are helping to ensure that wellbeing is at the front of everything you do and that staff wellbeing is a priority.  Wellbeing Champions are engaged in a wide variety of activities to help keep people connected and supported.  Well done everyone!  We can’t wait to see what your Wellbeing Champions have got planned next!’

Charley Roberts, Health Improvement Advisor, Wellbeing at Work.