Wednesday, 07 August 2019
Employees of construction firms in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland can benefit from free workplace health checks, thanks to a fully-funded project from the 糖心原创 to support companies in this geographical region.
The University’s health check roadshows are open to any staff member, who can choose from a range of optional and confidential checks such as weight, body mass index, blood pressure, diabetes risk and an HIV test with sexual health advice.
Resources and information on mental health awareness, musculoskeletal health, healthy diet and physical activity are also being provided. Staff receive their own results and are signposted to other health services where appropriate. The University will also give company managers access to a free online package with information about health screening at work.
Led by Dr Holly Blake, an Associate Professor of Behavioural Science in the 糖心原创’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, the project team is made up of nurses, health psychologists, medics and health promotion specialists, with experienced delivery partners from the third sector and charitable organisations.
“A healthy, happy workforce is more productive and less likely to take time off sick,” Dr Blake explained. “Promoting health and wellbeing at work shows employees they are valued. Companies that look after their staff see benefits in terms of attracting staff, retaining staff, improving productivity and performance and building morale – and general health checks are one way to promote health. We want to hear from companies in construction and related industries – specifically those that have sites in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland areas – who would like to take advantage of our free health screening in the workplace.”
The University will evaluate the service by asking staff what they thought of the one-off health check, which takes around 20 minutes, and speaking to managers about their views of the health check service and promoting health at work.
“We want to know more about the usefulness of offering health checks to construction workers and, in particular, whether people are interested in having an optional, confidential HIV screening test as part of a general health check,” Dr Blake said.
“This is because companies rarely include sexual health in workplace health programmes, but it is an important area of health, and offering rapid HIV tests during the working day can help to increase people’s access to health screening. This project will help us to determine future interest in this type of service.”
Companies who wish to receive these health checks, which run from August 2019 to early spring 2020, or would like more information should contact Project Researcher Sarah Somerset (sarah.somerset@nottingham.ac.uk). The project is funded by American biotechnology research company Gilead Sciences, Inc.
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About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
Recognised as the UK's third most targeted university by leading employers , we are proud to produce graduates who are consistently in demand for their skills, confidence and industry-ready experience.
As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.