Health event: “Suffolk gets workplace health – aims to be national leader”

Delegates from across the county attended an inspiring business event bringing together health experts and business leaders to share experiences and insights with the aim of making Suffolk a national leader in workplace health best practice.

Organised by Suffolk Chamber of Commerce on behalf of Suffolk County Council’s Public Health and Communities team, the event took place earlier this month as part of the Improving Workplace Health (IWH) programme.

Stuart Keeble, Director of Public Health and Communities at Suffolk County Council said: “The turnout and engagement throughout the morning showed both the level of active interest in the issues and the desire across the Suffolk business and health ecosystems to work together to boost workplace health outcomes, staff recruitment, retention and productivity.”

Delegates heard from an impressive and engaging cohort of speakers on a range of topics:

• Work and health – Stuart Keeble, director of Public Health, Suffolk County Council
• Leadership – Amy Bendall, Pier
• Women at Work (Menopause) –  Anita Malster, Blossom Mental Health Training & Aruna Sharma-Balls, Suffolk County Council
• Inclusivity – Vicky Huffey & Michelle Harrison, Orwell Housing Association
• Mental Health - Jon Neal, Suffolk Mind & Ian White, Beckett Investment Management Group
• Healthy Workplace Award Accreditation - Emma Regan, Suffolk County Council

Pier Marketing and Orwell Housing Association also spoke of the benefits to their organisations of achieving the Healthy Workplace Award, including improved retention rates, reduced workplace absence, and happier motivated staff.

John Dugmore, Suffolk Chamber’s chief executive added: “The Improving Workplace Programme, of which this event was a part, is certainly enthusing and informing hundreds of businesses, especially SMEs to become actively involved in boosting the health of their staff.

“This is the right thing to do in and of itself, but it is also building the capacity of our business community to achieve their growth ambitions at a time of labour shortages and economic uncertainty.”

The event presentations can be accessed via Suffolk Chamber’s IWH Hub, which also provides additional advice and guidance for the county’s SMEs, including how to apply for the Healthy Workplace Award.