Support and services for staff
NHS Borders is committed to promoting staff health and wellbeing and supporting staff to take good care of themselves. There are a range of services available to enable you to lead healthy working lives.
Work and well being services
NHS Borders Occupational Health Service & Healthy Working Lives teams offer a wide range of service including:
- Vaccinations (relevant to your job)
- Physiotherapy
- Counselling
- Workplace health promotion
- Lifestyle assessment and support
- Workplace rehabilitation following changes to your health or sickness absence
- Training, e.g. first aid, stress awareness, blood borne viruses, dignity at work
- Needlestick and contamination injury risk assessment and follow up
- Moving and handling advice and training
- Workstation advice
- Monitoring the impact of work on your health and health on your work
For more information go to the Workplace Health and Wellbeing microsite on the NHS Borders intranet or the Work and Well Being Service page on the NHS Borders website.
Ideas to get you more active
- Cycle to Work is a Government scheme which enables employees to purchase a bike for cycling to work and has a number of benefits such as improved fitness and health, reduced carbon footprint and reduction in car parking congestion. For further details go to the Cycle to Work scheme department page on the NHS Borders Staff Intranet.
- Walk to Work Week is a national walking challenge organised by the charity Living Streets. The aim is to get people walking more to and from work, during work and at lunchtimes during the week and beyond. Walk to work place takes place in May each year and further information can be found at www.livingstreets.org.uk
- Bike Week is an annual opportunity to promote cycling, and show how cycling can easily be part of everyday life, demonstrating the social, health and environmental benefits of cycling. Bike week takes place in June each year and further information can be found at www.cyclingscotland.org
- The Stepcount Challenge is aimed at improving fitness and getting people more active in their day to day lives. Teams of up to five take part in an 8 week walking challenge with participants measuring the distance walked each day using a pedometer. In the Borders, the Healthy Working Lives team organise an NHS Borders Stepcount Challenge to coincide with the national ‘Stepcount Challenge’ run by Paths for All in April each year. Further information can be found at www.pathsforall.org.uk or on the NHS Borders Staff intranet.
- There are many physical activity opportunities promoted on NHS Borders staff intranet on a regular basis- Basketball, Zumba, Fun Runs, Pilates, Bodyfit Boot Camps.
More support for healthy living
Healthy meal deals - Look out for healthy meal deals in the BGH dining room. You can find healthy choices all year round.
Stress - Stressbusters Borders provides helpful advice on how you can improve how you are feeling. But, if you are still struggling, you should contact your GP as soon as you can. They can give you some advice and may organise some additional support for you. Steps for Stress offer a step by step self-help guide, relaxation tips and signposts to a variety of other services.
Interested in quitting smoking?
The Wellbeing Service delivers the Borders Quit Your Way service which provides one to one support for people trying to stop smoking. Our advisers can tailor how they support you and help you develop an action plan for stopping.
You can also call the national helpline Smokeline on 0800 848484. This number is open 7 days a week 8am-10pm. There is also a web chat service for those who prefer to chat online on the canstopsmoking website
Concerned about alcohol and drugs? You can get contact details for all Borders services from the Borders Alcohol and Drugs Partnership