Healthier workforce

A healthier NHS workforce would bring substantial benefits to the organisation and could improve patient outcomes. We aim to examine the evidence for workplace health, providing guidance and support in the development and evaluation of workplace health promotion initiatives in public and private sector organisations. To learn more about our applied research interest in Workplace Health, please contact Dr Kaveh Asanati.

The COMPETENCE Study

This research is funded via the NIHR’s National Priority Area Research Programme 2020-23 via the ‘Prevention including Behavioural Risk Factors’ Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) Consortium. 

Workplace health initiatives are described as specific activities and programmes undertaken in the workplace to improve the health of workers through reducing disease-specific risk factors and encouraging behaviour change. National workplace health initiatives, such as the London Healthy Workplace Award, Better Health at Work Award, and Thrive at Work Initiative, can help embed a culture of self-care in the workplace. Imperial SCARU is working in collaboration with ARC West Midlands, ARC North East and North Cumbria and ARC Northwest London (Multimorbidity & Mental Health theme) to answer the following research questions:

  1. What are the mechanisms through which workplace health initiatives prevent context-relevant ill health and wellbeing outcomes? (WP1: led by ARC NENC)
  2. How can workplace health initiatives help employers support their staff in the sustained adoption of health-seeking self-care behaviours? (WP2: led by ARC NWL)
  3. What is the effectiveness of a mental contrasting intervention delivered through workplaces in motivating staff to change their health behaviour & wellbeing? (WP3: led by ARC WM)

The Imperial SCARU & ARC NWL component (WP2) I part of a larger programme of work, including a cluster randomised controlled trial of a behaviour change intervention led by Dr Laura Kudrna (ARC West Midlands).