The Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency have announced that £1.97 million has been awarded to organisations across England to bolster innovative schemes that are improving the health of women in the workplace.
Launched in April 2018, the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Health and Wellbeing Fund is a joint initiative run by the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency. A new round of the fund is launched every year and typically runs over 3 financial years.
The theme of the fund for 2022 to 2025 is women’s reproductive wellbeing in the workplace. Linking in with the development of the new Women’s Health Strategy, the fund aims to support organisations that can provide a holistic support offer to assist women experiencing reproductive health issues – for example, menopause, fertility problems, miscarriage and pregnancy loss, menstrual health, and gynaecological conditions – to remain in and return to the workplace.
The successful applicants are:
1. Ashiana Community Project – will be using funding to tackle gender inequalities that women experiencing menopause transition experience in the workplace.
2. Best Beginnings – a national charity that works to support all parents and caregivers throughout pregnancy and until children are 5 years old, with a focus on reducing inequalities.
3. Birmingham Voluntary Services Council, Salus Fatigue Foundation and Disability Resource Centre – the partnership between will use funding to develop a service that supports:
4. Brook – will be using funding to deliver tailored one-to-one support, addressing the stigma and raising awareness of the impact the menopause can have within the workplace, and providing practical support to local businesses to redevelop their policies and procedures so that they are inclusive of people experiencing the menopause.
5. Endometriosis UK – will develop a national Workplace Menstrual Wellbeing scheme.
6. Fertility Network UK aims to change the work landscape for working women experiencing fertility issues and remove the taboos around infertility.
7. Here – a partnership health service for care, will be implementing a menopause programme in Brighton and Hove.
8. Maternity Action – a maternity rights charity, will use the funding to support better health and employment outcomes for working women who are pregnant, recovering from giving birth, breastfeeding or experiencing pregnancy loss.
9. Mind, Greater Manchester – for a project to improve health outcomes for women and people experiencing reproductive health issues by delivering workplace training, raising awareness of the issues and providing an improved mindfulness offer.
10. Sands – a UK charity that works to save babies’ lives and supports anyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby.
11. Suffolk Libraries – will be using the funding to deliver a new service to support women in the county to raise awareness of the menopause and signpost advice.
12. The Eve Appeal – its project, the Every Woman Promise, looks to minimise the negative impact of gynaecological health issues in the workplace by working with businesses to remove the stigma around gynaecological health and raise awareness of the support available.
13. The Heeley Trust – will be using the funding to create a community-led approach by setting up multidisciplinary clinics, pop-up information sessions, places for people to come together to connect, learn and share advice on occupational health, peer support and community wellbeing activities.
14. Wellbeing of Women – following the continuing success of the charity’s Menopause Workplace Pledge, which has been signed by more than 2,000 employers so far, Wellbeing of Women will launch a new project in 2023 to develop menopause support for businesses so that more women feel able to continue in their careers.
15. The Women’s Organisation – to develop and deliver training and support aimed at women in the UK.
16. Tommy’s – national charity Tommy’s project will be to help women through a Pregnancy and Parenting At Work training package, which will help workplaces understand and meet employees’ needs through pregnancy journeys, including miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth and other complications.
The full press release is available on the GOV.UK website.
Image: Brook Young People, a national charity that provides free & confidential Sexual Health Advice to young people, will be using funding to deliver tailored one-to-one support, addressing the stigma and raising awareness of the impact the menopause can have within the workplace, and providing practical support to local businesses to redevelop their policies and procedures so that they are inclusive of people experiencing the menopause.