Hospital staff get fit for the New Year
Issue Date: Thursday 11th January 2007
VENUE: Queen's Medical Centre Campus, Wellbeing Room & Restaurant (D Floor, East Block)
EVENT: Helping hospital staff to get fit in the New Year
Staff will be available for interview - please call Joanne Powell on 0115 9709975 to make arrangements.
Staff at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust are being encouraged to give a boost to their resolutions to get fit in the New Year, with a week of lively events to inspire them to exercise.
Programme manager Dr Sandra Lee, who runs Q-Active - an Active England-sponsored project to help staff get healthier - said: "This is a great time to put the stresses and strains of last year behind us, and for those staff who've made - and perhaps already broken - a resolution to get fit and healthy, Q-Active is here to keep them on the straight and narrow."
The team are launching new classes such as belly dancing and early morning yoga as well as a new membership and loyalty scheme.
They've also launched an exciting new collaboration with The Lenton Centre. Close to the QMC campus, this community-led leisure centre has gym facilities and fitness activities such as aerobics, Wing Tsun (self defence), Ninjutsu, yoga and even Irish dance!
The Q-Active programme was launched in April 2006 in response to the Government's 2004 white paper 'Choosing Health'. It includes treatments such as massages, which staff can pay for in addition to the activity classes. It is one of the first and biggest dedicated programmes within a UK hospital devoted to removing barriers to participation in exercise and improving the health and wellbeing of staff.
Sandra Lee explained: "The Trust is committed to improving working lives and we are proud to be leading the way and changing the culture so that staff feel it's ok to fit exercise into our busy working schedules. Having a fit and healthy workforce benefits everyone, including patients who are in our care."
ENDS
