New Wellbeing Sessions Aim to Tackle Health Inequalities in Scarborough

A new initiative, spearheaded by the SeeChange project, is set to deliver wellbeing sessions for employees of local businesses in Scarborough.

The SeeChange project aims to address health inequalities within the town compared to the rest of the country. 

Christine Miles, the Business Wellness Partner at SWR Mind who is now overseeing the SeeChange project, says that the goal is to help realise a healthier Scarborough, bringing significant benefits to both employers and employees.

As part of the initiative the team are organising four "Well Being" sessions where local firms are being encouraged to allow their employees to book a 30 minute session during to working hours where the employee will be able to access a range of health and support services in one local location.

Christine says there will be a range of experts available at the events from the health sectors, local authorities, voluntary and community sectors.

The upcoming wellbeing sessions are designed to create opportunities for employees to gain access to advice and preventative health information, and to learn more about ways to improve their health and wellbeing. Research indicates that leading causes of sickness absence include minor illness, musculoskeletal injuries, mental ill health, and acute medical conditions. Employees in local businesses often face limited access and flexibility to attend health-related appointments, making them more susceptible to health issues and absenteeism.

To address these challenges, SeeChange is organising four events where employees can book 30-minute one-to-one sessions with various service providers. These providers will come from the Voluntary and Community Sectors, the Local Authority, and the Health Service Sector, covering areas such as mental health (e.g., SWR Mind), financial and social advice (e.g., CAB), physical health (e.g., Everyone Active), sexual health, cancer support (e.g., Cancer Alliance), screening, smoking and addictions, and nutrition

Christine says the  initiative is primarily targeting businesses in and around the Dunslow Road, Hopper Hill, and surrounding industrial sites, but all Scarborough businesses are welcome to participate.

To maximise the impact of these sessions, SeeChange is calling on local business leaders to actively promote and encourage their staff to attend. The support requested from businesses includes:

• Actively promoting the sessions to their staff using literature and materials provided by SeeChange.
• Allowing staff time to attend the sessions during the working day.
• Providing confidential access to the online booking system as required, recognising that some employees may not have individual email addresses or computers.
• Leading by example in encouraging participation.
• Supporting Social Media advertising of the events.

Christine is calling on local firms to get behind the project

The SeeChange project is a three-year initiative, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, which began in 2022 and is scheduled to conclude later this year. A key aspect of the project is to foster collaboration and synergy between the voluntary sector, community organisations, social enterprises, and health services in Scarborough.. 

The new sessions aim to "signpost people to to talk to them about what could be um possible for them, what is available to them".

The events will be hosted at Fortus Accountants, thanks to the Fortus Foundation, on the following dates: 

• Thursday 24th April, 
• Thursday 5th June, 
• Wednesday 9th July, 
• Thursday 11th September.

The anticipated impact of these wellbeing sessions is twofold. Firstly, to provide people with the necessary information and connect them with relevant services. Secondly, SeeChange hopes to demonstrate the need for more flexible service delivery options that accommodate diverse lifestyles, as traditional Monday to Friday, 9-to-5 service models may no longer be suitable for everyone.

Local businesses seeking further information or wishing to request promotional materials are encouraged to contact Christine Miles at christine.miles@swrmind.org.uk.