Anna Dalziel, Head of Health and Wellbeing at Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, explains why this is an exciting development for the Trust, “I wanted to create an area where staff could get outside and take part in some exercise that was beneficial even if they only had 10 minutes to spare. There is a great range of exercise stations and something for everyone to try. Evidence shows the huge health benefits from being outside in natural light for our overall wellbeing. Combining this with gentle strength and cardiovascular training it can really help us all to develop healthy daily habits at work.”
The grant funding has enabled the installation of the exercise equipment on the hospital grounds giving staff the chance to get in some extra steps, cycle a few miles or even get in some weight bearing exercise during their breaks.
“We were so pleased to be successful in our application for grant funding from NHS Charities Together to support the ongoing recovery of staff of the NHS from the pandemic. This equipment is just one piece of the jigsaw in the provision of support for staff at RCHT,” said Karen Murrish, Fundraising Manager for Royal Cornwall Hospitals Charity.
“We surveyed our staff to ask how we could best support them and support to take breaks and the provision of outside space was a common request. Our charity team has worked in partnership with the Health and Wellbeing Team to identify how funds can be used most effectively and offer support that reaches as many colleagues as possible,” Karen added.
