I am happy with the balance between my work and home life
`Wellbeing Wednesday’, funded wellbeing activities for the benefit of all staff. Magenta Living recently held a two hour event over lunchtime, enabling all staff to attend without disrupting services to their customers. They invited partner organisations such as Wirral Community NHS Trust, who set up an alcohol awareness stall, with free samples from their `Mock tail bar’, alcohol free cocktails; advice on healthy eating including free portions of healthy soup, smoking cessation stall and blood pressure tests and advice on weight and exercise. Other activities included the `smoothie bike’ where staff pedalled a fixed bike with a smoothie attachment to create their own healthy drinks. During the two hours they also had 30 minute classes running in both Tai Chi and Relaxation, together with complimentary therapies such as Back Massage, Riechi and Indian head massage. Our flexible benefits provider Cyclescheme also attended to demonstrate bikes and encourage people to take up the activity, and their local gym provided vouchers for free trials and offered discounts. Besides organising the event they also provided fresh fruit and healthy snacks for all staff attending the event. Comments about `Wellbeing Wednesday’ have included `brilliant sessions, loads of great things to get involved in’, `informative, fun and interesting’, `good to see everyone mingling’. The large scale event is ran twice yearly and supported throughout the year with regular funded activities. The second example of wellbeing innovativion is the access to the `iVan’, operated by Wirral NHS, it visits the Magenta Living office to provide information on cancer and cancer screening. Qualified nurses provided advice on mole changes, early detection of cancers, health promotion and awareness and blood pressure screening. Following a visit in September to the `iVan’ a member of staff Jane Howard was advised by the nurse to consult her doctor for further investigations. Following the screening Jane was referred by her GP to the local hospital who confirmed by the hospital that she would need treatment. Jane commented that `the hospital had said that they were very impressed with Magenta Living using the iVan service, with early diagnosis and referral means problems can be treated.’