Business Health Matters

Active Blackpool is supporting a ground-breaking new initiative set to improve the health and wellbeing of employees across Lancashire following a multi-million-pound funding boost.

UK Research and Innovation's (UKRI) healthy ageing challenge fund has given £3 million to an Active Lancashire led project which will upskill gym and leisure centre employees to conduct physical and mental health screenings in workplaces across the county.

'Health Checks'

Delivering more than 15,000 health screenings over a three-year period, the Workplace Health Check Project will target businesses with employees aged 50+ and SMEs that experience lower productivity levels due to poor employee health.

The screening tool and associated training programme have been developed by specialists from the University of Central Lancashire's (UCLan) School of Medicine and are consistent with the approach used in NHS medical practices to identify conditions that can lead to poor health in later life.

Businesses will then be offered a range of supportive interventions for employees based on the outcomes of the screenings, encompassing both physical and mental health support. The interventions will be delivered by a range of Lancashire-based providers and will empower employees with the tools to improve their overall health, whilst employers will benefit from increased productivity and resilience within their workforces.

The project brings together a range of local and national partners and forms part of the wider 'Business Health Matters' programme, which helps SMEs understand how they can support their staff; an issue that has been identified in a survey of more than 400 local businesses over the last 12 months.