This year’s Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) from NHS England includes quality improvement requirements relating to ‘workplace and wellbeing’. What do these terms mean?

OK, I think we all know what a workplace is, but the ‘wellbeing’ part is less easy to define. It might sound a bit touchy-feely to some. Does it refer to compulsory staff yoga classes at dawn? Should team meetings be held in a yurt in your practice’s car park from now on? You’ll be relieved to hear that the answer to both of these questions is no. Employee wellbeing is an increasingly common way to describe our happiness and health whilst at work. Activities like yoga and meditation can be very helpful to some individuals in achieving this, but they’re by no means the be-all and end-all of the subject.

To break things down a little, employee wellbeing potentially encompasses all four of the following:

• Physical wellbeing – thinking of our physical health and comfort at work
• Financial wellbeing – the extent to which pay and rewards fit our individual lifestyles and expectations
• Emotional wellbeing – our immediate emotions at work and what triggers them
• Mental wellbeing – our underlying mental health state and how it is influenced by work

The NHS QOF guidance and requirements are predominantly focussed around mental wellbeing, but inevitably there are close relationships between all of the above categories and any improvement plan you write should ideally consider them holistically. That way, it’s likely to have the biggest impact.

And what kind of positive impacts would we be looking for from a workplace wellbeing plan? Brownie points for QOF compliance is one, of course, but there are potentially lots more. Staff who feel happy and healthy at work will produce higher-quality services and contribute more in terms of ideas. They’ll have higher attendance levels, and be less likely to resign (or need to be let go). When our mental wellbeing is good, we have greater capacity to engage with organisational and/or team change, and we’ll probably be able to make good decisions more autonomously. GP practices that manage to support a high wellbeing culture are in a win-win situation.

It’s not always easy, of course – especially when practices are demand-high and resource-poor as is currently the case. But not all actions to promote employee wellbeing cost a great deal in terms of time or money. And ultimately, investment in wellbeing may help to reduce any ongoing problems with absence, turnover, and performance that you typically have to deal with. Wouldn’t that be nice?!

Practice Index have provided various resources and events connected with employee wellbeing, and will continue to do so in the future. See below for examples:

• HR Clinic – Employee Wellbeing (Questions and Answers)
• Walk your way to wellbeing
• Are you a parkrun practice?
• Health and wellbeing policy [PLUS]
• The Practice Index Podcast: Episode 31 – Staff Wellbeing and Retention
• Free course on the Practice Index HUB – Mental Health in the Workplace 
• Lunchtime Learning – Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace -Wednesday 10th October at 12.30pm

However, many of the best ideas and support around improving employee wellbeing in GP practices come from within the practice manager community itself. Do keep sharing questions and ideas on this topic in the Practice Index forums. Also, a big part of wellbeing at work is being able to give feedback and know it will be listened to. So, if there are resources related to this or any other topic that would be useful and you currently can’t find on the Practice Index website, do let us know! We love receiving your ideas.