Birmingham Children’s Hospital will offer all 3,500 members of its staff access to free fitness classes and a slimming club to highlight national obesity awareness week (starting 12 January).
Between 10 and 15 members of staff are expected to attend each session in the programme, which will continue until the end of the year.
Staff at the hospital are also being offered two evening aerobic classes each week, as well as access to Zumba and boxercise and early morning yoga sessions.
The slimming club, which currently has 50 members, takes place every Wednesday lunchtime, during which employees are weighed and have their weight loss progress monitored, while being offered access to professional guidance and resources.
Sara Brown, associate director for education and organisational development (OD) at Birmingham children’s hospital, said: “Although we currently offer two evening aerobic classes a week, they get changed based on the needs of staff.
“The slimming club means staff get weighed in weekly and have access to great resources, sign-posting and guidance.”
The new classes bolster the hospital’s existing health and wellbeing initiatives, which include promotional weeks that highlight key national campaigns and provide relevant support such as discounted gym memberships and smoking cessation advisors.
A health and wellbeing steering group, attended by a range of staff, helps to drive the employer’s strategy.
Brown adds: ”We believe passionately that the best way to ensure our patients receive the highest quality care is to ensure our staff are at their best.”
