Agenda item

Report from James Williams, Interim Public Health Consultant, City and Hackney Public Health Team

The Board was informed that workplace health had been highlighted as a national priority by Public Health England. The Director of Public Health was developing an emerging work stream on workplace health. This would aim to improve practice on a

Corporation and City-wide basis and influence others at a national level.

It was important that the City develops its own workplace health policies and

practice, in order to ensure that our efforts to improve practice across the City

are perceived positively.

Within the City of London Corporation, a number of measures had been

identified that could contribute to improved healthy working practices.

It was hoped that offering support to local business and national

profile-raising activities will help the City of London Corporation to advance

this agenda at a broader level.

RESOLVED: That Members:-

• Agreed the three-tiered approach as follows:

·       Improving workplace health within the City of London Corporation

·       Improving healthy working practices amongst businesses in the Square

Mile

·       Establishing the City of London as a leader in workplace health, nationally

and beyond

·       Agreed to sign up to the National Public Health Responsibility Deal.

• Asked Officers to present Members with a paper considering each pledge at the subsequent Board meeting where they would then consider a staff health survey to inform the delivery of the workplace health initiative, and consider establishing a time-limited task and finish group (with agreed terms of reference) comprising officers of the City of London Corporation to oversee the research and if necessary, commission a bespoke workplace health programme that will address the issues identified in the staff survey.

• Noted that the Director of Public Health had written to selected City businesses,

explaining the City’s new role in promoting public health, and setting out

reasons for businesses to engage with workplace health.

• Noted that the Town Clerk had asked the Director of Community and Children’s

Services to organise a conference on workplace health which would take place on 11th March 2014.

• Noted that the City of London Corporation is also commissioning a piece of

research on best practice in workplace health.