Workplace Support

Advice and information on active travel, including access to the Cyclescheme, pool schemes for eBikes, active travel maps and much more information on ways to both save money and look after your physical and mental wellbeing, are available on the NHSH staff intranet under staff > active travel.

This service highlights the importance of self-care and aims to help make a positive difference to people’s lives, as caring for others starts with caring for self. The coaching service is designed to support colleagues with any issues being faced during challenging times, including:

• personal and professional
• supporting individuals in building resilience
• helping them to take action to improve their wellbeing
• helping people explore how they lead others through challenging times.

Two leaflets are available with information about the service, one for print with full website links whilst the other is for digital and accessibility use with hyperlinked text.

Over the last 6 months, the National Wellbeing Hub has consistently heard from people working in health and social work/social care about the challenges they have faced in coping with the prolonged after-effects of COVID (long COVID), living with uncertainty, and their anxieties about returning to work and /or preparing to do so. Also, those in line management positions have shared with us similar concerns about how best to support colleagues who are fit to return but experiencing varying degrees of long COVID.

In response, the National Wellbeing Hub has compiled a series of resources to help everyone better understand and manage Long COVID. These include two evidence-informed articles, one aimed at managers providing advice on how to support staff returning to work with Long COVID, and one aimed at people experiencing Long COVID. These are supplemented by a ‘Top Tip’ sheet with brief guidance for managing recovery from Long COVID.

In addition to the written materials, the National Wellbeing Hub has produced a series of short videos. These include videos from two professionals who have both experienced Long COVID. In one, we hear about Janine’s path to recovery, while the other charts Grace’s return to work and how she is managing the ongoing challenges associated with this. Dr John Harden, Deputy National Clinical Director at the Scottish Government, also talks through what Long COVID is, what to do if you’re experiencing Long COVID, and how to manage some of the more common symptoms.

1 in 4 women experience domestic abuse and the current unprecedented situation where people are being asked to stay at home is providing increased opportunities for domestic abuse to happen, increases the isolation victims face and decreases their potential to seek help and support through the lack of opportunity to contact services, friends and neighbours.

If you are experiencing domestic abuse

It is important to know you are not alone. Support and helplines are still available providing information in formats that you can access safely

Information and Support for People in

• Argyll and Bute Women’s Aid 01450 218 409 or info@abwa.org.uk
• Caithness and Sutherland Women’s Aid 0345 408 0151 or info@caswa.org.uk
• Highland Inverness Women’s Aid 01463 220 719 or info@invernesswa.co.uk
• Lochaber Women’s Aid 01397 705 734
• Ross-shire Women’s Aid 01349 863 568 or info@rosswa.co.uk
• Shakti Women’s Aid 0131 475 2399
• Rape and Sexual Abuse Service Highland 03330 066 909 or info@rasash.org.uk
• National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0800 027 1234
• Men’s Advice Line 0808 801 0327
• Police Scotland 101 or in an emergency 999

If it is not safe to talk when phoning 999, press 55 and stay on the line, the call handler will know you need an urgent police response

Women’s Aid provides a range of advice and support. Additional information is available, including BSL resources and information in a range of languages.  

Highland Violence Against Women and Girls Support Service Booklet has contact details for services that provide information in a variety of formats, languages and covering a wide range of circumstances.

NHSH Employees Can Help

NHSH is well placed to be accessible for victims of domestic abuse and/or sexual violence. You may be one of the few people who they may be able to contact, either through phone conversations or via 1-2-1 contact for a wide range of NHS services. Here you will find a useful video link on how you can routinely ask the right questions and using the contact information above be able to signpost someone for specialist help and support. In addition you can find a range of safety planning resources and other useful information on the Highland Violence Against Women Partnership homepage.

As A Manager/Colleague of an NHSH employee experiencing domestic abuse

During the current situation where many staff are home working and more isolated than usual, a manager or colleague may be one of the few people in regular contact with an employee who is experiencing domestic abuse. You do not need to provide advice to employees or colleagues as there are many specialist services trained to do this. However, if you can listen, believe and signpost them to these services (listed above) you will be providing invaluable help and assistance.

Welcome to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for which is for all NHS Highland employees. This is a confidential service which is available 24/7 to assist you with personal or work-related problems that may be affecting your health, wellbeing or performance.

The Validium service is now known as HealthHero Assist.

There are updated flyers and posters for circulation amongst colleagues. All materials in the following list include NHS Highland’s assigned helpline number and online log in details for colleagues to register on the new resource hub, Wellbeing Hub (previously known as vClub). 

Please note that if users have previously registered on vClub at vclub.healthhero.com, they will not need to re-register as their account is already active on the new Wellbeing Hub.

• A5 Service Flyer – which includes information on each of the services available
• Service Poster
• Service FAQs
• Information about Counselling
• Manager Support Guidance
• Wellbeing Hub Launch Flyer
• Wellbeing Hub Launch Poster
• Wellbeing Hub TV Screen – for digital use
• Wellbeing Hub Email Attachment

This service is free, confidential to use and the online portal is entirely secure. So whether you are worrying about something, need some practical information, or simply want to talk things through with someone in confidence, the EAP is there to help you 24/7.

A managers resource for staff wellbeing has been produced by NES in collaboration with HOPS. It includes embedded links which will take you to shorter documents along with a learning module available on TURAS.

Another aspect of working life for both staff and managers to consider is how to manage the risk of fatigue and heat illness. This PDF has been created to provide advice and information on how to care for one’s health, especially during the COVID-19 response.

Highland Third Sector Interface have produced a Bereavement And Death in the Workplace toolkit, with the aim of providing support, information and advice to those who need it.

The mental health charity, Mind, have created their Guides to Wellness Action Plans which can be used to help support yourself and your team.

‘Once for Scotland’ Workforce Policies have been developed to be used consistently throughout the NHS in Scotland. There will be no local variation from the policies, as these apply to all NHS Scotland Boards.

The following NHS Highland policies provide guidance for managers to support staff whilst addressing known inequalities in the workplace.

• Gender Based Violence Policy
• Supporting Transgender Staff in the Workplace

If you work for NHS Highland and identify as LGBTQI+ or consider yourself an ally, you may wish to join NHS Highland’s LGBTQI+ Staff Network.

For more information, or to join the network, please contact the team via email at nhsh.nhshlgbtplusstaffnetwork@nhs.scot or why not find them on Social Media:

• Facebook
• Twitter

It is estimated that across the Highland Council (North Highland) area, there are in excess of 32,000 unpaid carers and that figure is likely to have risen.

The Scottish Government believes that at least 1 in 7 of the national workforce have a caring role and over 270,000 people are juggling caring responsibilities whilst holding down a job. That means many NHS Highland employees will have a caring role. However, many will not see themselves as carers and therefore won’t have access to available support networks.

We are aware that many NHS Highland staff will be struggling more than ever to juggle their caring role along with either working from home or within roles on the front line. It is therefore important that organisationally that we recognise the additional role that many employees are currently undertaking often without their usual networks of support that would usually include day care provision or regular respite breaks.

NHS Highland, are a Carer Positive Employer currently at Engaged status. This means NHS Highland employees should feel supported and understood by managers and colleagues and that organisationally NHS Highland benefits by retaining experienced workers, reducing staff absences and making huge savings on recruitment costs. We are currently working to gain Established Carer Positive status which means that we need to evidence what workplace support is available to carers and with this in mind we are currently developing an informal group to support unpaid carers who work within NHS Highland.

Monthly virtual carer meetings have now been arranged and are promoted on the Announcements page of the Intranet so look out for the next date. The meetings last 30 minutes and are a chance for staff juggling caring responsibilities to touch base with other staff members in a similar situation. They are very informal and all that is asked of you that you bring your own cuppa. If you want to know more about support available to NHSH staff with caring responsibilities then please get in touch by email.

Please watch the Making Carers Visible video, which recognises the vital role that unpaid carers do, saving the NHS millions of pounds, each year.

NHS Highland contract Connecting Carers to deliver a service for carers, they are available to offer advice and support and have lots of services set up virtually for carers. They can be contacted by phone on 01463 723 575.