New equipment boosts wellbeing of OUH staff

Staff working at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) are benefiting from new wellbeing equipment which has been installed to improve their working lives.

Up to £500,000 of capital funding was approved in January 2023 to purchase equipment on all four of our main hospital sites – the John Radcliffe Hospital, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and Churchill  Hospital in Oxford and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury – and at OUH Cowley, the Trust’s offices for staff working in HR, Finance and other support functions.

Rachel Stanfield, Acting Chief People Officer at OUH, says: "The equipment includes energy pods, sleep tubes, 'wellbeing nooks' (two-person seating areas where staff can have private conversations with colleagues), and outdoor gym equipment.

"Focusing on the basic health and wellbeing needs of our staff is a key priority in the implementation of our OUH People Plan 2022-25 and the equipment purchased was based on discussions with Wellbeing Champions and other staff about what they would find most useful."

The energy pods, sleep tubes and wellbeing nooks have all now been installed while the outdoor gym equipment will follow a little later this year as it requires planning permission and construction.

Staff working on the Acute Assessment Unit (AAU) at the John Radcliffe Hospital are positive about the impact which the wellbeing equipment has had since it was installed.

Nipuni Jayawardana (Registered Nurse Associate) says: "The rest pods give everyone a dedicated space to rest quietly, even for few minutes. Also, when working long days in a row, the sleep pod accommodates our little naps with privacy during our breaks."

Kiren Dennehy (Ward Manager’s Assistant) adds: "AAU is a busy environment not only for the medical and nursing staff but also for the admin team, so having this rest pod is an ideal space to go to for a short break and return rested and refreshed to tackle the rest of the day. We feel very fortunate to have received such a thoughtful place to unwind – thank you!"