Carers charity celebrates Wellbeing at Work bronze award

Care for the Carers is delighted to announce that they have received the bronze award from East Sussex County Council’s Wellbeing at Work scheme. The award is given to local organisations who have built successful foundations of a healthy workplace. The charity was assessed across 10 criteria including mental health, healthy eating, leadership, management and workplace culture.

They also wanted to draw attention to the importance of healthy workplaces this National Stress Awareness Day, which took place on 2 November 2023.

Nationally, in recent years, 41% of employees experienced poor mental health caused by work, and over 14 million working days were lost due to stress, depression and anxiety.

The charity provides information and support to anyone in East Sussex who looks after a relative, friend or neighbour who couldn’t manage without their help. Stress at work can be particularly profound for the 1 in 7 working people who juggle their job with caring responsibilities.

Local carer, Richard said: “The stress is in having to work full time to provide an income for my family and then having to care for my wife and daughter, in what should be my time off.”

Care for the Carers’ CEO Jennifer Twist says “We are delighted to become one of the first charities in the county to receive this award. We are dedicated to providing a supportive workplace for all our employees and volunteers, and are grateful to Wellbeing at Work for their support during this process and beyond. We also want to take this opportunity to draw attention to working carers and the immense stress that juggling work and care can bring.  We encourage all workplaces to provide support for employees who are carers – and we are able to help you to do this, so please do get in touch.”

Matt Ellis, Programme Coordinator for Wellbeing at Work adds “We were really pleased to be able to support Care for the Carers to achieve this award. They have showed real commitment to creating a positive work environment for their employees, and we were particularly impressed with the dedication of the Wellbeing group that led this process.”

Care for the Carers

Care for the Carers is the Carers Centre for East Sussex and an independent charity supporting unpaid carers across the county. An unpaid carer is anyone who looks after someone who could not do without their support; there are thousands of unpaid carers across the county.

The charity is commissioned to provide services to carers by East Sussex County Council and the NHS.

The charity provides free practical and emotional advice to Carers and a range of services. Services include referrals to other local services, outreach support, one-to-one crisis help and guidance, coaching, training, wellbeing and support groups, activities and counselling. They strive to create carer friendly communities and peer support opportunities across East Sussex.

Their work ensures that no one is left to care alone. Further information is available on their website , by phoning 01323 738390 or emailinginfo@cftc.org.uk.

About the Wellbeing at Work programme

The Wellbeing at Work Programme aims to provide support to East Sussex employers with improving employee health and wellbeing in their workplace.

The programme is funded and delivered by Public Health and East Sussex County Council. It offers workplace health resources, training, events and a signposting service to those working in East Sussex.

The Bronze award is part of a free Accreditation Scheme for East Sussex employers, providing a framework to improve employee health and wellbeing, whilst rewarding organisations who are actively working to do so.

The programme is free to all types and sizes of organisations based in East Sussex.

More information can be found on their website.

About National Stress Awareness Day

National Stress Awareness Day was set up by the International Stress Management Association, with the mission of raising awareness of the effects of psychological distress in the workplace and strategies to address it. The day also aims to reduce stigma of stress in the workplace.

It includes a comprehensive programme of events, such as international online seminars, summits, interactive chats, and events. Access to expert advice both online and at events is also available. You can find more information on their website.

Data sources

41% of employees experienced poor mental health caused by work –Business in the Community/BUPA ‘Mental Health at Work 2020’ report.

Over 14 million days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety – Public Health England, ‘Health matters: health and work’, published 31 January 2019.

 

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