13th September 2023
Jane Fowler – Head of Customer Support Services
Jane Fowler – Head of Customer Support ServicesHello and welcome to this, the very last, Wellbeing Wednesday! We have really enjoyed sharing our updates with you since we started our Wednesday bulletins back in 2020 and have been delighted at all of your feedback and engagement over these last 3 years.
From now on, we are going to be focusing our wellbeing activity on MyCouncilWorks, where you will be able to access all the support, information, learning and news on new initiatives and events. You can find the links to this site in today’s bulletin. We hope that you will use it, save it in your favourites and make it a ‘Go To’ page when you are looking for anything to do with wellbeing.
The Wellbeing Team is here for you. The work that we do has to meet your needs around wellbeing – and so we rely on you telling us what you like, what you don’t like, what is useful and what is not and what you would like to see us focus on. So keep in touch with us here wellbeing@argyll-bute.gov.uk
Our Strategic Management Team are fully supportive of our Wellbeing agenda – they know how important your health and wellbeing are to the organisation and the services we deliver – and they have directed us in selecting the priorities that the Team are now focusing on. You will see these on our new pages.
So I’ll sign off now and say farewell to Wellbeing Wednesday and hello to Wellbeing on Health and Wellbeing – My Council Works
Thanks for all your support and keep well!
New Health and Wellbeing content on the Website
You can now find information and advice on a range of wellbeing-related topics on our new website pages, which hopefully will make it easier to find the content that is relevant to you.
This includes information on physical and mental wellbeing, lifestyle and financial wellbeing as well as policies and procedures and useful contacts.
This will be updated regularly with details of webinars and other wellbeing events so please check in regularly to see what is coming up. Health and Wellbeing – My Council Works
Let us know what you think and if there is anything you would like to see here which is currently missing: wellbeing@argyll-bute.gov.uk
Mental Health Support Able Futures – Virtual Appointment Days – September 2023
As part of our ongoing mental health support there will be two further Virtual Appointment Days for Able Futures this month. The session on 18th September is now fully booked but there are still limited spaces on 28th September 2023 between 7.00 a.m. and 12.30 p.m.
Follow the link below to book your timeslot now:
https://calendly.com/lisa-woodward-1/appointment-booking-mental-health-support-ab-28th – LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE
For more details see our Wellbeing Webinars page
Further information about the support service can be found on the Able Futures website here. You can also apply via the Able Futures website at any time, and do not have to wait until the virtual appointment days if you would prefer to self-refer.
National Fitness Day 20th September
This year’s National Fitness Day is taking place on 20th September 2023. The theme is ‘Your Health is for Life’, encouraging people of all ages, abilities and background to recognise and celebrate the life-long physical and mental benefits of being active.
More than a quarter of the population in the England is classed as inactive – averaging less than 30 minutes of exercise a week – according to Sport England’s latest Active Lives survey. So, this year, we want to shift the focus.
While bringing people together through physical activity on National Fitness Day has a hugely positive impact, the campaign is encouraging you to view this day as just one step in a much bigger journey, because your health is for life.
This year’s 2023 campaign will take a holistic view of health and wellbeing, focusing on three key areas: mental health, nutrition and recovery, and physical activity itself.
You can download a free National Fitness Day toolkit here with information, ideas and resources to help you celebrate this event.
However you can just do something simple such as take a walk, go for a cycle ride or a swim, take part in a sport activity, park the car further away and walk the last 15 minutes of your journey or try something completely new!
National Fitness Day | The UK’s Largest Physical Activity Celebration
Cervical and Bowel Cancer Screening programmes
NHS cancer screening programmes can help to diagnose cancer or risk of cancer earlier and improve the likelihood of successful treatment.
If you are eligible (normally offered to those aged between 25 and 64 years old), please make every effort to have your screening test. Screening tests can detect a problem early, even before you have any symptoms. Finding out about a problem early can mean that treatment is more effective.
It’s important to attend your cervical screening appointment every time you’re invited and visit your GP as soon as possible if you any unusual discharge or bleeding.
These are usually caused by something other than cancer but it’s important to have them checked.
To find out more visit www.nhsinform.scot/cervicalscreening #ScotsScreening
Bowel cancer survival is improving and has more than doubled in the last 40 years in the UK. If diagnosed early, more than 90% of bowel cancer cases can be treated successfully.
Screening programmes test to see if people show any early signs of cancer. By detecting bowel cancer at an early stage, treatment has a better chance of working.
The bowel screening test is offered to everyone aged 50-74 and can find bowel cancer early, even if you don’t have symptoms. Please do your bowel screening test when it arrives in the post, it can be done in the privacy of your own home and should be repeated every 2 years.
For more information visit: www.nhsinform.scot/bowelscreening #ScotsScreening
Heath Assured, our Employee Assistance Programme also have a series of short webinars available on their website. This month the topic is Baby Loss and Infertility.
You can access via: Webinars | Health Assured (healthassuredeap.co.uk)
Health Assured also provide a free and confidential helpline which is available 24/7 – Tel: 0800 028 0199 or you can download the Health Assured App via Apple Store or Play Store for Android devices.