Workplace Wellbeing Charter awarded to Medicash

Leading Liverpool health insurer Medicash has been awarded the Workplace Wellbeing Charter.

The accolade, awarded by Liverpool PCT, is in recognition of Medicash's efforts in encouraging a healthy lifestyle among its staff.

The Workplace Wellbeing Charter serves as a health version of Investors in People. It focuses on helping businesses improve seven key areas of employees' lifestyles - alcohol and substance misuse, leadership, sickness and absence management, smoking, mental health and stress, healthy eating and physical activity.

Medicash, which employs over 70 staff in its Liverpool city centre offices, was one of the first organisations to get involved with the scheme.

Charity Health@Work works with the businesses signed up to the charter, offering free advice and support to help them achieve their targets. The initiative has been running successfully for the last year and will run for a further two years.

Sue Weir, chief executive of Medicash said: "It was important to us to promote a postive culture around health which would make a real difference to our employees' overall wellbeing. We are delighted with this award which is also testament to our staff's commitment to taking a proactive approach in taking steps to take care of their health."

By taking heed of the lifestyle changes incorporated in the Workplace Wellbeing Charter, Health@Work says a person can increase their life expectancy by up to 7.5 years.

Keith Gorman, programme manager of Health@Work, said: "Medicash is a shining example of an organisation that takes the wellbeing of its staff seriously and actively encourages healthy living inside and outside the workforce. They thoroughly deserve this accolade."

Andy Hull, director of stakeholder engagement at Liverpool PCT said: "The Workplace Wellbeing Charter is a way of encouraging and enthusing people to do things above and beyond, to do something and really get the healthy living message across to people in an organisation."

In the last 12 months Health@Work has signed up 79 businesses to the Workplace Wellbeing Charter, reaching more than 13,000 employees.

To find out more about health and wellbeing in the workplace, contact Health@Work on 0151 236 6608 or email info@healthatworkcentre.org.uk .