Supporting our diverse workforce to be healthy and maintain a sense of wellbeing is fundamental to the quality of care we provide.
At Sussex Partnership we have a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team to develop our unique range of staff health and wellbeing incentives.
Free mindfulness courses
Working in the caring professions can be inspiring and rewarding, however it can also be hard work and at times stressful and emotionally demanding. Research indicates that mindfulness can have physical and psychological benefits.
The Sussex Mindfulness Centre provides NICE recommended eight-week mindfulness courses for staff at Sussex Partnership. The courses, which are free to Trust staff, include Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and, occasionally, Mindfulness for Life and Mindful Self-Compassion. Evidence shows positive impacts for staff in terms of reduced stress and improved wellbeing. Find out more and sign up for free mindfulness courses.
Employee wellbeing champions and mental health first aiders
At Sussex Partnership, we have networks of both Employee Wellbeing Champions and Mental Health First Aiders.
We currently have 80+ staff throughout the Trust who have volunteered to become Wellbeing Champions and 174 staff who are fully qualified Mental Health First Aiders.
Wellbeing Champions play an active role in helping to promote and support the health and wellbeing of staff and the Mental Health First Aiders are the go-to people for any member of staff who needs help with their mental health, from having a bad day at work to experiencing a family crisis.
Health and wellbeing funding for teams
We have a dedicated fund which teams can access to organise a wellbeing event or activity. The days are designed for our teams to get together and blow off steam by doing something fun outside of the office or ward. It is also a great way to get to know each other than just the five-minute tea break chats.
Here are some of the wellbeing activities our teams have enjoyed:
- Walking Alpacas
- Escape rooms
- Pottery Painting
- Circus skills workshop
- Axe throwing.
Emotional wellbeing
There are a range of ways that you can access support for your emotional wellbeing at Sussex Partnership.
Staff can access a team of wellbeing advisors for free support with for a variety of concerns, including relationship issues, debt management, bereavement, legal issues, bullying and harassment.
We offer training developed by The Thrive Team to equip you with everyday strategies to help you to feel resourced and resilient, enabling you to thrive and not just survive. Whatever your current levels of resilience, this workshop will be an introduction to or a reminder about ways to look after ourselves, not just when times are tough, but every day. These workshops are available to all staff at Sussex Partnership.
All our staff have access to free apps such as Headspace, ShinyMind, Unmind, to support wellbeing as well as a range of resources for post incident support, bereavement support, suicide awareness, miscarriage support and a buddy system.
Financial wellbeing
You can access a range of incentives to support your financial wellbeing, including the Wagestream App to access a portion of earned income at any time. You can also get an advance on an interest-free travel season ticket, salary sacrifice schemes on cars and holidays and discounts and offers via the Blue Light Card and My Trust Benefits.
Family wellbeing
At Sussex Partnership, we offer support to you and your family in a range of ways.
At Sussex Partnership, we want to make sure you feel supported in the workplace when you have outside caring responsibilities.
We offer all staff access to our Carer Passports which are designed to support an open conversation with your manager about caring and the flexibility required to manage it alongside work.
The Carer Passport is a 'live' document which is reviewed and updated when circumstances change, whether it be a change in job roles or the nature of the caring responsibilities.
We know that a new baby is a joyous but busy time. This is why we offer staff at the Trust up to 52 weeks maternity leave, with the possibility of being eligible to receive occupational paternity pay, statutory paternity pay or statutory maternity allowance. During this time, you will receive paid time off to attend antenatal appointments and have the right to return to work at the end of your leave period.
Adoption leave
Adoption leave follows the same principles as maternity leave and allows one member of an adoptive couple to take paid time off work when their new child starts to live with them. When a couple adopts jointly, they can choose who will take adoption leave and pay, and the other may take maternity support leave and pay.
Under the Government scheme, eligible families will get 20% of their annual childcare costs paid for. This could mean up to £2,000 per child.
The scheme is open to single parents or couples who work eight or more hours a week, including self-employment, and who pay for Ofsted-registered childcare for a child under the age of 11 (or under the age of 16 if the child is disabled.)
To be eligible for this, you need to:
- Have one or more children aged under 12
- Work at least 16 hours a week
- Earn under £100,000 a year
- Not claim tax credits (this includes the childcare element of working tax credit) or universal credit.
Visit the Childcare Choices website to find out more.
We offer staff on-site childcare at three of our locations - in Hove, Brighton and Crawley. The nurseries are run independently so please contact them directly to find out more.
| Butterfly Nursery | Hove Poly Clinic site, Marshall Way, Neville Avenue, Hove, BN3 7HY | Tel: 01273 67558 |
| Hilltop Nursery | Brighton general Hospital, Elm Grove, Brighton, BN2 6NE | Tel: 01273 696011 Ext. 3302 |
| Rainbow Nursery | Crawley Hospital, West Green, Crawley, RH11 7DH | Tel: 01293 600300 Ext. 3790 |
Physical wellbeing
We offer a range of physical wellbeing incentives, including access to our occupational health services, provided by Optima, the opportunity to join one of the Heads On Running Clubs in Crawley and Worthing, eye examinations and discounted glasses provided by Specsavers, a Cycle2Work scheme and gym discounts. We also offer menopause support as well as support to stop smoking and getting better sleep.