Growing Occupational Health and Wellbeing Together forms part of 2023-24 NHS priorities and operational planning guidance
NHS Growing Occupational Health and Wellbeing (OHWB) Together is the 5-year strategy to grow OHWB services, professions and practice in the NHS, to keep the NHS workforce safe and healthy, and empower them to pass good care onto our patients. This forms part of the ambition for a proactive culture of wellbeing within the NHS People Plan and People Promise.
Growing OHWB Together has become a mandate for action for Integrated Care Boards and their system organisations as part of 2023-24 NHS priorities and operational planning guidance. This demonstrates the importance placed on looking after the health and wellbeing of all our healthcare people in the workplace.
Collaboration is at the heart of Growing OHWB Together, which has been co-designed with input from over 1,000 stakeholders across the entire healthcare system, including; national experts, OHWB and HROD professionals, healthcare leaders, through to managers and employees as the ‘service user’ of OHWB. The strategy provides a united roadmap for improving OHWB in the NHS and encourages the need for flexible local interpretation in different contexts.
It focuses on four key improvement drivers, including growing the identity of OHWB, the multi-professional OHWB workforce, services across systems, and impact in practice, with the core vision of:
“Improving the health and wellbeing of our NHS people by growing our Occupational Health and Wellbeing services and people to be trusted, strategic and integrated partners”
NHS England is supporting NHS organisations and systems to achieve the aspirations within Growing OHWB Together through a comprehensive programme of work that underpins the strategy ambitions. You can find out more by signing up to the online Growing OHWB community here, and you can learn more about the wider NHS health and wellbeing agenda here.
Dr Adam Turner FCIPD, Improving Health and Wellbeing Lead, for NHS England
Victoria Small, Senior Project Manager Health and Wellbeing Culture, for NHS England
