The Brief

To improve staff health and well-being in the NHS by reducing sickness absenteeism by up to a third as this could result in an annual direct cost saving of up to £555 million (the equivalent of 14,900 extra staff).

The Solution

We created a specific NHS Sports and Activity website to encourage and challenge NHS staff to participate in a range of physical activities and sport either individually or in a team with their work colleagues.

The NHS Sport and Physical Activity website became an online resource for all NHS staff to either find activities or sports that they would not normally undertake and to register as an individual or as a team.

Once registered NHS staff members could then search in their local area to either find other NHS staff who wished to undertake the same activities or sport.

Teams can challenge each other and arrange matches or meetings via the website.

The Success

The NHS Sport and Physical Activity website has become an established way for NHS staff to find and sign up to a wide range of sports and activities in their area.

The website provides support and information about how to set up sports and physical activities within the NHS, providing easy, cost effective and fun ways of improving staff health and well-being.

Successful examples include the establishment of an NHS Touch Rugby League, Netball League and Walking Club.

The Challenge has already made a huge impact on the NHS with over 200 NHS organisations taking part which means about 17% of all NHS Staff have now actively participated. Many of the participating NHS organisations have demonstrated real savings with a reduction in staff absenteeism.

The website was set up to run through to the end of 2012 but the programme has proved to be so successful that the Department for Health has now announced that the funding will continue through until the end of 2014.

The Technology

In addition to designing, maintaining and hosting the website, we also developed a customised content management system (CMS) that allowed the client to quickly and easily update all the information on the website.

• Interactive website design
• Bespoke content management system (CMS)
• Member only area on the website
• E-newsletter marketing functionality
• Social Media
• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Contact Us

If you would like further information on this particular project or have a similar project which you would like some help or advice on then please contact us here.

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