It’s hoped that the festival of thanks held across North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust last week signals new beginning for its workforce in focusing on recognition, wellbeing and expressing thoughts through art.
The three day mini festival of thanks and wellbeing was designed to reflect the incredible response to dealing with the pandemic from staff and our communities and held days on reflection and remembrance, thank you and wellbeing.
The three days covered:
Reflections and remembrance – benches were unveiled in remembrance of our two 
staff members who sadly lost 
their lives to the virus, a memorial book was opened for staff across all our services to share their thoughts and there was a candle lit vigil held across the Trust that our communities were also invited to join.
An online virtual art gallery was also opened highlighting artwork sent in by staff that illustrated their thoughts of the pandemic.
Thanks – The thank you awards were announced across all eight award categories in a video released across the Trust and each award winner was presented with a certificate from a member of the executive team.
We also celebrated the huge number of Glimpse of Brilliance that had been shared by our own staff – recognising those who had done more than expected and made a difference to someone.
Between March and July we received almost 80 nominations for a Glimpse of Brilliance which showed so many great examples of how staff adapted and worked differently to ensure our patients received the best care.
This short film shows some of the people who received Glimpse awards.
This was also an opportunity for the public to share their personal thanks to staff and the Trust was extremely humbled with all the comments that came in. https://www.ncic.nhs.uk/news/abundance-thank-you-messages-nhs-staff
Our staff also said thank you to our communities and sent in their photos of thanks which were shared on social media on the day.
Wellbeing
The final day was focussed on Wellbeing and all staff were encouraged to ‘Take5’ every day to improve their wellbeing. ‘Take 5’ are a set of evidence-based actions which promote our physical and mental wellbeing. These activities are simple things we can do in our everyday life. They are to be kind, to stretch and move, to have a break, to talk and listen, and to keep hydrated.
To help staff stay hydrated the Trust also launched hydration challenge. This aims to raise awareness of the importance of hydration for your health and wellbeing by challenging staff to increase our daily fluid intake over 7 days. After the seve
n days if staff email in the difference drinking more water has made they could win a prize.
Some wellbeing treats were delivered across our services – with the deliveries including equipment for teams and services that had been bought thanks to the kind donations of the public during the pandemic.
There was also a range of online wellbeing taster classes encouraging staff members to try something new including yoga and mindfulness.
Justine Steele the executive director of workforce and organisational development said:
“The festival and ‘thank yous’ were really appreciated by staff and members of the public. Everyone has been affected by the pandemic in one way or another and that was why it was important for us to reflect and remember and also say to thank you. The awards were nominated and voted by our staff and the response was incredible with more than 13,000 votes. It was also very humbling to receive all the thank you messages from our communities for staff across our services. We hope that the public understand just how grateful we have been and continue to be for their support.
“It’s important that we now focus and continue some of the positives from the festival including the development of our ‘be the artist’ campaign which encourages staff to be creative and share their art and our ‘Take 5 campaign’ to help staff stop every day and look after themselves.”
Thank you for everyone who contributed to the organisation of the festival and to all those who supported it.
