This page is for staff only; information regarding our services can be found here.
Looking after my own health and wellbeing
Looking after my own health and wellbeing
How can I look after my own health and wellbeing?
We know that meeting our basic needs gives us the best foundation to support our health and wellbeing. Have a look at the areas below to see if you have these in place:
Prioritising sleep
The power of sleep is often underestimated. It enables our mind and body to rest and repair, and is essential to being able to function effectively.
If we haven't had enough quality sleep, it can be much harder to manage our emotions and think things through.
If you're not getting enough quality sleep, have a look at the resources below to see what can help:
Being active
Research evidence tells us that being active helps to improve mood, reduce feelings of stress, as well as reducing risks for health conditions.
Being active doesn't have to mean going to the gym or running a marathon - it can be a part of your daily life. Finding a way to move your body that works for you can help you to form a habit to build upon.
Here are the activity guidelines for adults for more information:
If you're interested in the Couch to 5K programme, you can get started here:
Keeping nourished and hydrated
Eating well and ensuring we are hydrated gives us the essential fuel we need for our daily activities. Eating nourishing food means we can get vitamins and minerals to supports our overall physical and mental health. Meeting this basic need is key in allowing us to have enough energy, be able to think and concentrate, as well as helps us to regulate our emotions.
How do you fuel your mind and body? Take a look at the eating well guide for some ideas:
Building relationships
The quality and range of our connections with others, both in and out of work, are significant factors in our wellbeing. From sharing joy and fun, to accessing support and help, connecting with others can help improve our wellbeing and reduce feelings of stress.
For details of the teams and individuals across the Trust who are ready to listen and support you:
Managers and supervisors
Prioritise regular supervision and use the space to try to process things that happen during work and impact on your wellbeing. Take part in wellbeing discussions in supervision sessions and in annual appraisals. As the adage goes 'a problem shared is a problem halved'. Sometimes, just talking about an issue can really help. These meetings are a perfect opportunity to speak to your line manager or clinical supervisor about the things that are going well, and where there are challenges.
Want to get more from your supervision and/or appraisal? The Trust now offers 'How to have meaningful supervision and appraisals' training, which is aimed at both team members and team leaders. Find out more on the Talent Platform:
Talk about what is affecting you with your manager, clinical supervisor, team or professional lead as soon as possible to address the issues you are experiencing. Keep speaking up if you don't get what you need the first time.
Professional Advocates
A professional advocate is a recognised clinical leadership and advocacy role within the NHS. Originally developed for midwives, the role now supports nurses, nursing associates, and allied health professionals (AHPs) using the AEQUIP model (Advocating and Educating for QUality ImProvement).
Our professional advocates are here to listen, inspire, and empower nurses, nursing associates and AHPs through confidential restorative clinical supervision (RCS) and career conversations. RCS offers a dedicated space for healthcare professionals to process experiences in their role and reflect on their practice, development, wellbeing, and the experiences of the people they support. Professional advocates can support reflective discussions one-to-one, or as a group.
Coaching
Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust fully supports the use of coaches and mentors within the workplace setting and actively encourages you to explore this opportunity.
Coaching is available to provide you with positive support and feedback on individual or group objectives. For those people who have a coach they may find that they feel more supported and motivated, it can increase confidence and ultimately improve performance. A coach will help you reach your full potential and can be used to help you reach specific goals within work and beyond. For more info:
Staff Side / Trade Unions
Staff Side are a collective of all the Trade Unions recognised within CWPT. The role of Staff Side is to negotiate with Trust management on anything that can affect its members which includes a lot of the staff employed by CWPT. This includes anything that can affect the Health and Wellbeing of their members and staff in general.
For Staff Side support, you can search the email directory for:
- Richard Pittaway, Staff Side Chair
- Sarah Gibbons, Staff Side Vice Chair
- Patrick Bree, Staff Side Vice Chair
Freedom to Speak Up Guardian
In our Trust, we want an open culture where everyone feels safe to highlight concerns or poor practice when they see it, without the fear of repercussion or reprisal. Our Freedom to Speak Up Guardians are here to listen to staff who have concerns about patient care or safety, staff wellbeing, misconduct or fraud. For more info:
Chaplaincy department
The Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Team exists to support staff as much as service users, carers and visitors. The team provide a confidential listening and support service for all staff, and this can take place through formalised sessions such as referrals from Occupational Health, self-referrals or informal meetings. You don't have to be religious to make contact and we are always available so please do ask. You can contact Simon Moult, Chaplain amd Coordinator of Faith Services via email Simon.Moult@covwarkpt.nhs.uk or call: 07767 005987. For more info:
Equality, diversity and inclusion support
Whilst ensuring that staff are advised and supported on the wider equality agenda through training, the Equality Diversity and Inclusion Team support staff who may have experienced harassment, bullying or verbal abuse because of their religion or belief, age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, sex or sexual orientation. We provide a confidential listening support service to all staff and patients. Support is also available to users and carers from minority groups to support them through their healthcare journey. Contact the Equality Diversity and Inclusion Team on 024 7684 4031. For more info:
Mental Health First Aid trained colleagues
The Trust has a number of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) trained staff across the Trust, based in various bases. Staff who are MHFA trained can be identified by the MHFA badge and lanyard.
...with your team, in your service and with wider Trust staff networks.
A sense of shared purpose and working together as a team protects staff wellbeing. Take part in events in your service or across the Trust, contribute when asked for feedback or engagement.
Find out more about Trust Initiatives for connection here:
Sometimes we just need a quiet space to reflect on our work. The Trust offers a number of options to support staff to reflect on their own or part of a structured group session.
Talk to someone and sort things out as soon as possible
Talk about what is affecting you with your manager, clinical supervisor, team or professional lead as soon as possible to address the issues you are experiencing. Keep speaking up if you don't get what you need the first time.
For details of the teams and individuals across the Trust who are ready to listen and support you:
Adjustments can be made to your working arrangements to support your wellbeing. More information about adjustments:
Having access to learning and development opportunities is essential to staff wellbeing in the NHS. It empowers individuals with the skills and confidence to deliver high-quality care, reduces stress through competence, and supports personal growth and career satisfaction and retention.
Find out more about Trust learning and development initiatives here:
The work that we do can often be challenging but evidence suggests that remembering and celebrating the things that go well, even in a small way, can be protective of our wellbeing. Allow yourself time to focus on the things that are going well and celebrate in team meetings or your 1:1s. Find out about positive developments in the Trust here.
Details of the Trust's reward and recognition initiatives can be found here:
Don't forget to share your wins with the Communications Team so they can feature your achievements in Trust communications and consider the awards and recognition section of this guide.
Access Trust financial wellbeing initiatives and support
The Trust offers a number of financial wellbeing initiatives, from access to discounts to debt advice. You can see a detailed list of the Trust's financial wellbeing initiatives on offer .
