Smile

"There are as many people aged 16 to 64 in work whose health limits what they can do as they are out of work because of ill-health." This is not an us/them problem. With up to a fifth of working age people managing a serious chronic health condition, this impacts every community and every company. What are you doing to support your employees?

Faye, from the Smile team, has been out on the road this week! Unpaid carers offer so much support to people with long term health conditions, it may be in the form of: - Via the telephone offering emotional support - Taking someone to appointments - Supporting with cooking, cleaning, shopping and other daily tasks - Assisting with dressing, cleaning and other personal care needs - Going in to check on someone regularly If you are an unpaid carer, there is support available to you.

As an employer, how do you approach supporting team members with long term health conditions? Do you have the tools you need? This article highlights some of the findings from The Health Foundation's recent report on health inequalities into 2040. “Without action, the number of working-age people living with major illness is set to increase, particularly in the most deprived areas of the country.” The report itself summarises that... 'Good health is an asset to society. The health inequality we describe in this report need not exist. Anticipating these trends gives policymakers an opportunity to act now to address these inequalities and increase economic growth.' Resources to support those most vulnerable to health inequalities need to be made available. Support for those communities around us and those within our teams who are impacted by long term health conditions will be more important than ever. https://lnkd.in/eZqXpECe

So why is there not more tailored support? This research has been out for over 10 years and the NHS have written in their own plans about the need for joined up care between physical and mental health. But sadly, it's still not happening enough. We think your deserve more.

So why is there not more tailored support? This research has been out for over 10 years and the NHS have written in their own plans about the need for joined up care between physical and mental health. But sadly, it's still not happening enough. We think your deserve more.

An interesting article from Psychology Today summarising that the UK has been ranked second worst for Mental Health in a global survey. It discusses whether GDP is still the best marker of success and if we should be looking to a happiness index such as the one used in New Zealand or the United Nations Human Development Index. What is your opinion on a happiness or human development scale? Have you come across, or used, a happiness or development scale within the workplace? The sentiment of the Human Development Index... The HDI was created to emphasize that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country, not economic growth alone. Encompassing the dimensions of a long and healthy life, knowledge and a decent standard of living. These factors stand out as being key drivers to good mental wellbeing. What are your thoughts? https://lnkd.in/eYaiB3-U #MentalHealth #HappinessIndex #HumanDevelopmentIndex

Congratulations to our friends at Charlies Cancer Support who celebrated their 10 year anniversary last week. A wonderful sense of community shone through their display of over 1,000 purple poppies that had been hand made and displayed in Gloucester city centre over the weekend. Running a small charity is no mean feat and Jo, and her team deserve a huge THANKYOU for what they are doing to support those impacted by cancer in Gloucestershire.

If you lead or manage a team in the workplace, we would really appreciate a moment of your time to answer this question... Thank you!

We had the pleasure of being invited to talk about the Smile App to Nicky Price at BBC Radio Gloucestershire last week. Thank you for having us! If you missed it then you can take a listen here... https://lnkd.in/eBByREBH

We're excited to be named App Of The Month by Best For You NHS, a partnership supporting the mental health of young people across London. Download the app on Android and IoS: www.wearesmileapp.com Get mental health support for young people: www.bestforyou.org.uk