Carers Shape Up
A national care group is offering staff advice on exercises which can be done in the workplace in a bid to keep health and fitness top of the agenda.
Springhill Care Group, which operates homes in Lancashire and Bristol, has teamed up with a professional physiotherapist to design a range of exercises which can be done by busy care professionals during the working day.
The exercises include step-ups which can be done on a set of stairs, sit-to-stand exercises which see staff simply standing up from a sitting position, and marching on the spot.
They are specifically designed by Bristol-based physiotherapist Andy Stenner, to help keep muscles flexible without placing strain on the body.
Virginia Perkins, head of human resources at the Springhill Care Group, said: “Helping our staff stay fit and healthy is a key priority for us. Working in the care profession can involve long days and nights, often eating on the fly during a spare moment.
“It’s tough to stay healthy in that environment, so our initiatives are doing everything they can to help. We recently made pedometers available to staff to help them track their steps during the day, and this is another simple way they can keep healthy in the workplace.
“We’re putting up posters in staff areas which they can refer to in a spare moment, and we’ll also be making them available on social media for other professionals to take advantage of.”
Earlier this year, Springhill Care Group launched the Caring Heroes campaign in a bid to shine a light on the often-unseen work by care professionals.
As part of the campaign the group has handed out pedometers to every one of its 400-plus employees, to encourage them to take an interest in their fitness levels.
The company is already operating a range of health and wellbeing initiatives including offering staff healthy menu cards detailing easy and affordable recipes, and providing fresh fruit to encourage healthy eating.
Staff also benefit from regular visits from a registered nurse to monitor blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and BMI.
To join the conversation and support the initiative, use the hashtag #caringheroes on social media
