Carers Trust

Sector: Public

Size of Organisation: 86

Thrive Lead: Claire Dale

What they do: Carers Trust Heart of England works to improve the lives of family carers and the people they care for. Providing integrated services that place the needs of Coventry and Warwickshire carers and the people they care for at the heart of everything they do. With approximately 90 staff, they support hundreds of people throughout Coventry and Warwickshire.

How Thrive at Work has impacted the organisation:

After joining in 2020, there was a clear focus on improving the company culture and the wellbeing they already offered their employees. A programme to support healthy lifestyles was implemented. The support offered included wellbeing walks, Zumba sessions, healthy eating, and menopause training, alongside recognising national campaigns, which included World Mental Health Day, Men’s Health Week, Bike Week and many more! Resilience Workshops were provided to staff by a specialist organisation, and initiatives such as “Brew Monday” were implemented to reinforce the message that talking and looking after your mental health is important.

“People talk more” was the big takeaway for the Trust, which felt that this directly resulted from the Thrive at Work initiatives.

The implementation of health champions is reflected in the improved culture within the organisation. People in different teams now talk to each other, creating a better working environment.

Staff commented that they now try doing more physical exercise, such as walking during meetings and breaks. Some staff members have managed to give up smoking as a result of the improved wellbeing offered. Other lifestyle change reports include drinking more water, weight loss and joining gyms. Staff described Carers Trust Heart of England as a nice place to work.

‘Achieving this award means a lot to us as an organisation. We value the health and wellbeing of our staff team and appreciate the sometimes challenging but rewarding roles they fulfil in supporting unpaid carers and people with support needs across Coventry and Warwickshire. We know that our team feeling valued, appreciated and knowing that we are invested in and genuinely care about their health and wellbeing goes someway to effectively supporting them and we are keen to continue to build on this.’Melissa Murray - HR Officer and PA to the CEO

Award Date: Feb 2023