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STAFF at a Glasgow based charitable trust have walked 6,796 miles in just over ten weeks with the help of a bespoke walking challenge.
The Robertson Trust employees trekked over 6,796 miles as part of two bespoke Step Count Challenges, which saw ten teams, and 41 colleagues achieve collective 15,188,903 steps during the lockdown.
Individuals ventured out in all weathers in a bid to boost their mental and physical wellbeing while connecting with colleagues virtually and boosting their daily steps, with the help of walking charity Paths for All’s tailor-made challenges.
Paths for All have encouraged other businesses in Glasgow to create their own bespoke challenges and get employees out walking whilst Lockdown persists.
Gurdeep Kaur, Funding Officer at The Robertson Trust (TRT), said:
“The Step Count Challenge was a great way to connect with colleagues whilst working from home, and we enjoyed it that much that we are set to do our third challenge in March!
“It has been a fun way to get our steps in, which we were missing during our commutes to work, our lunchtime walks round to the shop or a walking meeting.
“Whilst it has helped our staff physically, it has also increased their mental and social wellbeing, with colleagues organising virtual walks, in turn giving individuals some sort of personal interaction that we miss whilst working from home.
“We made sure to mix the teams up, so colleagues were interacting with new people, and friendships have blossomed as a result. It has been really positive to see people ‘virtually’ rally round their colleagues to make sure everyone was getting their steps – a little bit of healthy competition definitely set in.
“The challenge was near enough the first topic of conversation in every meeting, even those who were not completing the challenge were keen to get involved and hear how we were getting on.”
During the first challenge in June, five teams with 19 staff members walked 7,252,686 steps, and in September, this increased to 7,936,217 with five teams and 22 staff members.
Daily local walks boast an array of positive mental and physical health benefits whilst helping to connect individuals socially, online or with one individual outside, as exercise remains one of the few essential reasons for leaving your home.
Paths for All offers tailor-made step count challenges, inviting organisations of all sizes to set-up their own walking challenge to keep their workforce active by connecting colleagues working remotely.
Danielle added:
“Within the Step Count Challenge, we added some personal and fun tasks for our teams, some weeks, we would ask people to find a picture of a rainbow or take a selfie with a specific object. This made people mix up their walks and often made people walk further and longer.
“During the first challenge, we also fundraised for five charities and ended up raising over £1,821, which we were delighted about, TRT actually matched the figure, so we ended up raising £5,463.
“Everyone who took part has benefited in their personal and work life. We receive frequent encouragement from senior management to get away from the screen, and we all now realise just how important it is.
“The Step Count Challenge was the perfect fit, and I’d encourage more businesses to look at how they can put wellbeing to the forefront of discussions, especially as we continue to work from home.
“The main thing is every one that took part thoroughly enjoyed it, the challenge was fun but also great for our health and wellbeing – which is a complete bonus!”
Businesses across the country are utilising the Walk at Work Award and Step Count Challenge.
The call to action for businesses to get their workforce moving comes as it is revealed many adults continue to sit for long periods of time while at work. Workplaces must take action to reduce sedentary behaviour and improve health and wellbeing.
Ian Findlay CBE, Chief Officer at Paths for All, said:
“The workplace is where the majority of us spend a great deal of our time, whether it be at your adapted new home office or in the office during more normal times, it’s incredibly important that staff take a break from the screen and employers put wellbeing at the forefront of their mind.
“Walking is one of the simplest and best things we can do for our physical, social and mental health. It’s free, you don’t need any special equipment, and it can be easily incorporated into the average working day.
“The accreditation and challenges help businesses put their staff’s health and wellbeing at the heart of what they do whilst making exercise fun.
“The bespoke challenges are tailored to a business’ own teams, while our award gives employers the chance to earn a recognised accreditation – with support throughout the whole process.
“Walking can connect people socially in many ways, whether that be virtually or meeting with one other person socially distanced outdoors.
“We all need to play our part in helping to make the nation healthier and happier, in both a work and personal sense.”
The Walk At Work Award aims to reverse the trend of inactive workplaces, and the accreditation supports businesses in tackling staff well-being and corporate carbon footprint while enhancing productivity.
Employers receive one-to-one support on how to create a walking culture at work, as well as examples of best practice and where to find extra help and resources.
The Step Count Challenge is made up of teams of five. It has one simple aim of encouraging people to walk more to feel happier and healthier, with participants having access to leader boards, goal setting, and team chat to keep them motivated and connected.
Businesses can register a team of five for just £30 – and can customise their own challenges with tailored branding and personalised messaging.
Paths for All believes regular walking is key to leading a happy and healthy life, and it’s even more important for people to continue enjoying short, local walks where it is safe and appropriate to do so with to the huge array of associated benefits.
For more information on Paths for All, please visit https://www.pathsforall.org.uk.
charitytoday.co.uk | 04 March 2021
ALZHEIMER’S Research UK has welcomed the launch of a parliamentary inquiry into the link between sport and long-term brain injury.
The UK’s leading dementia research charity highlighted the need for more research looking into the potential causes of dementia and the role that sport could play in increasing risk.
Understanding the consequences of a head injury and the changes that can lead to an increased risk of dementia is an important goal for research.
Susan Mitchell, Head of Policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:
“There is growing evidence that head injury can increase dementia risk, but more research is needed to fully understand the risks associated with specific sports, so we are pleased to see this area given more attention and scrutiny.
“We’re pleased to see parliament taking an increased interest in how head injuries sustained during sporting activity may lead to an increased risk of developing dementia. Only through more research and by gathering more evidence can we begin to fully understand the link between head trauma in sport and dementia and then become clear about the interventions and policies that are needed to reduce the risk of dementia.
“It is also important to note the many health benefits that sport can bring to physical and mental health, and that these should be balanced against any potential risks.”
charitytoday.co.uk | 04 March 2021
THE Royal College of GPs, in partnership with the end of life charity Marie Curie, has enhanced the ‘Daffodil Standards’ to support GPs and their teams in providing consistently high-quality palliative and end of life care specifically focusing on older patients living in care homes.
The new guidance, specifically relating to older people living in care homes, has been co-developed with frontline GPs, members of the multi-disciplinary practice team and other relevant care providers as a free, quality-improvement programme. The care home standards were already in development before the outbreak of COVID-19 and their use is not limited to the care of patients during the pandemic.
They build on the success of the wider Daffodil Standards programme, launched last year by the College and Marie Curie, offering a set of standards that GP practices can sign up to as a commitment to continuously improve the quality of palliative and end of life care they deliver for patients. So far, approximately, one in six practices in the UK have signed up.
The new additional Daffodil Standards complement the original programme but are standalone and tailored to the care of patients in care homes who are coming to the end of their lives. Engagement with the original standards is not a prerequisite to signing up.
Recognising the intense pressures currently facing general practice, the new standards are designed to be as streamlined and supportive as possible for GP practices. They focus on continuous improvement by providing GPs and members of the practice team involved in supporting older patients living in care homes with an easy-to-navigate framework to build on the care their practice already provides.
Daffodil Standards for Older Patients Living in Care Homes is free to sign up to and available as a downloadable, self-assessment tool. It consists of two levels – the first looking at processes in place and the second looking at whether these deliver what patients and their families want and need.
The two levels are:
- Level 1: Core Essentials – Internal practice systems to enable consistency of care
Providing guidance on implementing robust processes to best support patients in care homes, as well as their families. The framework emphasises the importance of extending the multidisciplinary team to include those who work within care homes and taking a holistic approach to determine what matters most to individual care home residents.
- Level 2: Enhanced – Improving communication, shared planning and compassionate care
This level encourages reflection to ensure that the processes in place meet the needs of older patients and their families and that the most appropriate professionals are involved. This framework also supports the involvement of robust planning and communications with family members of care home residents.
Each level is tiered to accommodate every GP practice, regardless of the point it is starting from, and its capacity to make quality improvements. This aims to encourage consistency of care amongst care homes, supporting all GPs and their teams to reach the same objective.
Practices that sign up to the new Daffodil Standards will be encouraged to feedback in real-time in order to assess how the standards work in practice and based on that feedback, the Standards will be reviewed within three-to-six months.
Dr Catherine Millington-Sanders, RCGP and Marie Curie National Clinical Champion for End of Life Care said:
“All patients who require palliative and end of life care are vulnerable, but those who live in care homes are some of our most vulnerable, which is why Marie Curie and the RCGP have created a focus of the Daffodil Standards, tailored to their needs, and the needs of their family members.
“The Standards have been developed by a diverse group of organisations, all committed to delivering the best possible care to older patients who live in care homes. Our aim is to minimise variation at the end of life care they receive – and to support GPs and their multidisciplinary teams who are delivering their care, in partnership with care home staff.
“General practice plays a crucial role in delivering high-quality end of life care to their patients in care homes. Prior to the pandemic, we planned to develop the Daffodil Standards to enable a focus on older patients in care homes and the pandemic has brought the importance of this work into sharp focus. As GPs and their teams press on in managing COVID-19 and delivering vital general practice services under difficult circumstances, this framework aims to support GP practices by confirming robust leadership and systems to support the individual older patient’s health – this should reassure both care home residents and their families alike.”
Simon Jones, Marie Curie Director of Community Engagement, said:
“We have always known how important care homes are in the end of life care for very many people and that has been brought home to us even stronger this year. But care homes should not be places where people go to die but rather to squeeze every scrap of life out the time they have left. The role of the GP and their practice staff is central to care and support in care homes. These new Standards builds on the existing Daffodil Standards in a way that will help GPs and practice staff in a crucial part of their work.”
Dr Dawne Garrett, RCN Professional Lead for the Care of Older People and Dementia, said:
“Delivering high-quality end-of-life care is a fundamental role nursing staff play in care homes. It will remain essential to the work of the nursing team in care homes.
“Nursing staff ensure older patients in care home settings receive the best possible care. These new standards will allow everyone working in care to ensure the quality of their care remains high. We hope the nursing staff will be able to use these resources to see ways to innovate the care they give to benefit all service users.”
Ian Turner, Executive Chair of the Registered Nursing Home Association, said:
“Care Homes will wish to work with their clinical lead and other GP’s to use the daffodil standard to encourage more personalised care for their residents. I, therefore, welcome the introduction of this standard and look forward to its widespread implementation across the UK. For those in England, this also aligns with the Enhanced Health in Care Homes initiative.”
charitytoday.co.uk | 28 January 2021