NSFT first for menopause accreditation | News and events

NSFT has become the first mental health NHS trust in the UK to be awarded the Menopause Friendly Workplace accreditation.

The application was reviewed by an Independent Panel at Menopause Friendly Workplace, which said: “With its strong foundation and commitment to continuous improvement, NSFT is well-positioned to achieve and sustain Menopause Friendly Accreditation while setting an example for others in the sector.”

It is also only the eighth NHS trust to receive the award.

The need for menopause awareness was highlighted in April 2023 by NSFT’s Women’s Network after it organised a successful conference.

More than 75% of NSFT’s workforce are women with 33% of these falling within the age group of 46 plus, the usual age group affected by perimenopause and menopause.

Staff health and wellbeing manager Jodie Millard, who co-ordinated the application for accreditation, said: “These figures show how essential having menopause support in place within NSFT is, especially with 80% of staff reporting they had no support with menopause symptoms within the workplace from a survey circulated in June 2023.”

The Menopause Aware Programme has been led by a passionate team of trained Menopause Advocates and has included:

·        A new menopause policy

·        Monthly online awareness sessions

·        Monthly online support group

·        Line manager training

·        Menopause Aware intranet page with resources

·        Leading as exemplar site for menopause work within the Norfolk & Waveney ICB

·        Menopause toolkit and symptom checker resource

Jodie said: “We are so proud to have reached the point of accreditation within such a short space of time. The reaction from staff to the programme has been so positive and we would not have been so successful without the involvement and crucial feedback from them.”

She said it was key to offer awareness opportunities to all staff. “Menopause affects everybody, women experiencing the symptoms, their families, friends and colleagues. This is why we have been keen to ensure that our awareness package extends to staff supporting others and managers supporting their staff.

“Our main aim has been to highlight menopause and normalise conversation in the workplace. We should be treating the menopause as we would any other health issue to create an environment where employees and managers can talk about reasonable adjustments that may be needed.”

Chief Finance Officer Jason Hollidge is joint executive sponsor of the women’s network and a supporter of the menopause aware project. He said: “Huge congratulations to everyone who has been involved in getting this accreditation. I know it has been a lot of work to get where we are and to be recognised for this and as an exemplar organisation is fantastic.”