Green Prescription | GP’s – could be just what the doctor ordered?
Our aim is to use nature get people back to work in an efficient and more resilient way – helping not only the employee, but the employer too.
Having valued employees absent for long absence periods is not good for the employer, their colleagues – or the employee!
With NatureFix we’re supporting employees with mild/mild to moderate stress, depression or anxiety, but who are in a position to contemplate a phased return-to-work, and currently liaising with their employer’s occupational health professional (or GP) about returning back to full-time work on a phased return.
Prior to making a commitment to attend the daily activity programme, participants may attend taster sessions (with a friend or family member, or a workplace mental health champion), to sample the wellbeing activities that will be included within the 5 week programme. Activities are based in the local North Staffordshire/South Cheshire landscape, with wellbeing activities like Nordic walking, mindful photography, greenway cycling and basic nature conservation activities. Participants will also learn about our ‘Nature’s Ways to Wellbeing‘ approach supporting ongoing resilience, and building positive work-life balance – skills that will help them prevent a future relapse.
We are running a pilot of the NatureFix programme, commencing in September 2019, and now seeking to link up with local North Staffordshire/South Cheshire employers, occupational health providers, or GP’s, who want to participate in our ‘fully funded’ pilot study, which will be independently researched by a UK university.
There would be no cost to the employer or participating individuals, but we’d be looking to build relationships with local employers to help us cover the costs of rolling out the programme, beyond the successful pilot.
Employer & OH Provider Information | summary of benefits & savings
Contact Us now if you have employees who are on long term absence with stress, anxiety and depression – and may benefit from our service. This is an ever growing problem, which of course affects nearly all workplaces. We’re here to work alongside you, to support your staff as part of a structured phased return-to-work. We can help your employee re-establish a daily routine in preparation for getting back to work, and achieve this return in a much smoother and more assured way.
Summary of benefits for employee:
- More support – a complementary or additional service to medication or talking therapies
- Avoids waiting – a way to get interim support, if on waiting lists for other therapies
- Daily routine – ‘a daily dose of nature’, keeping body and mind active and aiding better sleep
- Teaches resilience – learn ‘Nature’s Ways to Wellbeing’ to identify new hobbies/interests to maintain longer term health resilience
- More effective – a more efficient way to prepare for a successful return-to-work
- More enjoyable – an more enjoyable way to recover from unpleasant symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety.
Summary of benefits for employers:
- More efficient – a more efficient way to positively support and encourage absent employees back into work after emotional wellbeing illness
- More cost effective – reducing business costs for stress, depression and anxiety (thought to be 57% of all long term absence costs) by avoiding employees languishing off sick for long periods
- Reduces risk – helps avoid the possibility of losing a valued employee through job quitting
- Avoids waiting – a way to get employees additional support that they may need, who might otherwise wait for services through the NHS
- Good fit – a good fit with employee assistance programmes (EAP)
- More caring – a more positive way to re-engage staff after illness and show you care. Efforts to support employee wellbeing in a caring way are proven to enhance levels of employee engagement, productivity and help prevent presenteeism
- Good CSR – A good way to demonstrate effective management under ‘duty of care’, and of course support a local ‘not for profit’ community project.
Contact Us now if you’d like to know more about our pilot study and NatureFix recovery and resilience programme.
More information can also be found on our employee information page.