#DoingOurBit wins national award

#DoingOurBit – a platform of more than 60 free workouts for NHS and social care staff – has won the Institute for Continuous Improvement in Public Services Employee Wellbeing Award.

Created by fitness industry leaders Active IQ, fibodo and Study Active alongside NHS keyworker Julie Davis during the first lockdown in June 2020, #DoingOurBit has 135 NHS and social care trusts signed up to the platform, giving access to more than 750,000 frontline workers.

“I’m delighted that #DoingOurBit has been recognised for its contribution to improved employee wellbeing as people’s welfare during and since the pandemic was the driving force behind the platform,” said Julie, who is also deputy chief operating officer of the NIHR Clinical Research Network West Midlands.

“The beauty of #DoingOurBit is that it hasn’t stood still: we are continuing to build the platform to bring new content and opportunities to enable NHS and social care staff free access to physical and mental wellbeing resources.”

The ICiPS Award for Employee Wellbeing category recognises organisations that have gone above and beyond to support their employee wellbeing during and after the Covid pandemic.

Recognising that employees have emerged from a challenging period, with many now facing changes to how, when and where they work, the stresses this can place on a workforce are considerable.

That said, the situation also resulted in new opportunities and ICiPS was keen to recognise organisations that have truly understood and responded to the changed needs of their employees’ wellbeing.

#DoingOurBit continues to evolve with a new platform have just launched, including a Mental Wellbeing hub.

An app is soon to follow and this, alongside new workouts being added at regular intervals, is future proofing #DoingOurBit.

“#DoingOurBit stood out to the judges as it was a scheme with well thought through and clear outcomes,” said Debbie Simpson, CEO of ICiPS.

“It had clearly been crafted around understanding employee wellbeing needs and took into account the challenge of engaging with employees, given their diverse age profiles, working patterns and places of work.

“It started as a small-scale venture which grew into a programme that now engages a huge and diverse range of employees, in an equally diverse range of activities.

“#DoingOurBit also showed collaboration with a range of organisations and the ability to unite employees.

“It is a programme that resonates with employees who remain engaged with it and continue to derive benefit.

“In terms of morale and wellbeing, the programme is clearly making a difference to the lives of those who participate, supporting their physical and mental wellbeing which, in turn, will contribute to a healthier, more content and productive workforce.”