More than a thousand Isle of Wight employees have received healthchecks in the last twelve months from the Chamber Health team. The Chamber’s Healthy Well-being coordinators visited businesses of all sizes including the NHS, Isle of Wight Council, BAE, GKN, Mountjoy, Southern Vectis, Pascall, Neutrik, Yokagawa Marex. Platform One, RFEL and Lifeline Alarm Systems. The activity has been commissioned by Public Health to carry out NHS health checks that would usually be carried out in a doctor’s surgery. The voluntary health checks involve taking a few details, including immediate family health history, as well as checking height, weight, BMI, blood pressure and taking a small blood test for cholesterol and blood sugars.
“The health checks are important because they’re a form of pre-intervention,” explains Jane Ackrill. “We’re looking to deal with any health issues before they become serious enough for people to need to go to hospital or their doctor. We’re advising people about issues that might become a problem in the future. Maybe they need to lose a little weight or look at their diet with regard to cholesterol or diabetes. We talk about stress levels and exercise too. It’s preventative care and advice which is helping to take some of the load off the NHS and St Mary’s. It’s also very important for the ‘working, walking, well’ who wouldn’t always see their GP but will see us when we visit their workplace.”
To be eligible employees need to be aged between 40 and 74, and not already receiving medication for high blood pressure, cholesterol or diabetes. Around 40 employees were subsequently referred within 48 hours directly to their GP for urgent screening. Further referrals for around 70 employees were for reasons that included smoking, weight management, physical inactivity and alcohol consumption. That’s around 1 in 10 who were identified for further support as part of the healthchecks.
“The feedback has been incredible,” says Jacqui Mead. “People are very keen to have a health check. When one person has it done, others will follow. It’s been very well received. We’ve learnt that there are a lot of men who need to have their health checked. It’s been a greater proportion of women who have attended. It’s often true that the men who have their health checked are actually follow-up checks but that isn’t a bad thing. People are really taking on-board the messages and are thinking more about exercise, their diet and things like alcohol. It’s been a very realistic response too.”
The Chamber Health team has also worked with businesses to identify health champions within organisations. The champions have been offered a day’s training to help spread the message in the workplace.
“People are more aware now than they ever have been,” Jacqui says. “You can even get mobile phone apps to remind you to exercise, drink water or spend some time away from your desk. What hasn’t changed is that most workplaces don’t allow it. It’s not part of the culture. People eat meals at their desks and don’t move from their workspace for eight hours. The office definitely can be bad for your health. We’re trying to promote movement at work along with hydration and eating regularly as much as we can. A healthy exercise routine, sticking to recommended alcoholic limits and certainly not smoking will all help to keep cholesterol levels where they should be. It isn’t just about diet. It’s a holistic approach.”
The benefits of Physical Activity
Reducing heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes and obesity
Reducing some of the effects of ageing
Maintaining flexibility
Maintaining a healthy weight
Burning calories
Relieving stress and anxiety will make you happier
Increasing your energy levels
The benefits of Healthy Eating
Reduced risk of heart disease and high blood pressure
Reduced chances of getting cancer
Having more energy
Might be ill less often and might lose weight
Improved bowel health
Skin, nails and hair will look healthier
