Get Elfi @ Work
Rushcliffe: Regional Food Champions 2008
Rushcliffe Borough Council ran the Get ‘Elfi @ Work’ campaign using an innovative character to deliver clear health messages about giving up smoking, healthy eating and increased physical activity at work.
Businesses received personal visits to help them develop a smoke-free policy and this policy was used as the basis for running stop smoking sessions. Advice also covered running healthy eating sessions which supported the Food Standards Agency’s guidelines covering the eatwell plate, 5-a-day, drinking more water, reducing salt and reducing saturated fat intake. Employees were encouraged to sign up for corporate membership at council leisure facilities with discounted membership. Employers were also provided with support to develop green ways of travelling to and from work and up to £20,000 funding was available for each business to help them adopt their travel plan.
Aims and Objectives
Aims
- To raise awareness among employers of the benefits of having a healthy workforce. To make Rushcliffe’s workplaces healthier and promote the benefits of leading a healthier lifestyle to employees by increasing their levels of physical activity, encouraging them to eat healthier and stop smoking.
- To sign up 10 SME employers to our Get Elfi campaign and encourage the workforce to become healthier.
- To encourage more businesses to go smoke-free ahead of the smoking legislation and reward them with the National Clean Air Award certificate (NCAA)
The campaign was linked to both Council and Local Area Agreement (LAA) targets to reduce obesity and smoking. The Council had achieved much success working with local schools and residents and wanted to take the persuasive messages into the workplace. Early consultation regarding the impending legislation indicated that SMEs may need support to implement legislation.
Partners
• Rushcliffe Borough Council • Rushcliffe Business Partnership • Notts County Cricket Club • Nottinghamshire County NHS • Notts County Council • Parkwood Leisure (run council leisure centres)
Methodology
The project was developed and delivered primarily by the health development officer (HDO) visiting local businesses. Much publicity was issued by the Council and its partners to urge businesses to sign up, with the project being run on a first come first served basis. Ten SMEs was judged to be the maximum amount which could be adequately supported by our health development officer. In 2006 and 2007 the HDO visited each business on many occasions to deliver a targeted programme, based on their needs.
Phase one - smoke-free
All SMEs were encouraged to establish a working group (managers and staff) that together devised the policy and set an implementation date. This group also internally promoted the benefits of stopping smoking and worked with the stop smoking service to recruit and coordinate a six-week programme. Professional guidance was provided to enable businesses to carry out an assessment on what changes they needed to make in advance to legislation. i.e legislation on smoking shelters and location etc.
Phase two - healthy eating
The HDO worked with caterers to devise healthier menus and talked to staff about eating a balanced diet, what constitutes a balanced diet, what this means to them, and how small steps can make a big difference. This phase covered 5-a-day, the benefits of drinking water and looking at food labelling to identify foods that are high in salt and saturated fats.
Phase three - physical activity
Employees – this involved promoting corporate membership to the businesses and urging staff to take out memberships at Council leisure centres.
Employers - Nottinghamshire County Council travel coordinator consulted with employees to asses travel to and from work. Funding was available to encourage green travel and this was supported by funding to employers to install showers for cyclists.
Resources
- Promotional material
- Award certificates
- Directory of smoke-free venues in the Borough
- Information cards
- HDO time
Evaluation
Evaluation was by setting and achieving SMART targets
- Number of business adopting the smoke-free policy
- Numbers of people quitting smoking
- Post and pre-questionnaires completed on levels on knowledge around healthy eating
- Number of corporate discount package taken up and individual usage
Outcomes:
- 10 businesses signed up to Get Elfi
- 20 businesses received NCAA Gold Standard certificates
- Rushcliffe Borough Council received national recognition from NCAA
- 30 employees stopped smoking.
- 300 employees received information and had the chance to listen to a presentation about the real benefits of being healthier whilst at work
- 4 businesses improved the healthiness of internal catering
- 75 people signed up for regular exercise at council leisure centres
- Get Elfi project was included in the East Midlands Big Lottery portfolio as best practice
Lessons Learned
To achieve long term success, spread good practice and get people to act, requires many organisations working together. Partnership is vital to Rushcliffe’s success. Some businesses did not want to take part as they disagreed with the smoke-free legislation. Literature and promotion has to be relevant for the target group. Promoting success and identifying a ‘Business Champion’ really did help to engage businesses.
Future Developments
The project has been completed and the focus has now moved to Council staff. In 2008 we held a health day for all staff and businesses one year after the smoking ban was introduced, to remind people of other important health messages at work (stress management, obesity, cholesterol, prostate etc).
In 2009, we have moved on again with our ‘waist management’ programme which targets frontline council manual staff (eg who empty bins and cut grass).
Contact Details
Contact Name: Rose Melvin
Job Title: Health Development Officer
Phone: 0115 914 8233
Email: rmelvin@rushcliffe.gov.uk
Website: www.rushcliffe.gov.uk
Organisation: Rushcliffe District Council
Address: Civic Centre, Pavilion Rd, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 5FE
Case study added 8 July 2009