West Suffolk Hospital staff pledge to be happier and healthier

Staff members at West Suffolk Hospital have vowed to take steps towards a healthier lifestyle during a special ‘Pledge Week’.

Organised by the team here at Live Well Suffolk as part of our current ‘5 Ways to Live Well’ Campaign, a pledge board was erected in Time Out, the hospital’s staff café, and employees were encouraged to make a lifestyle change to achieve a happier and healthier lifestyle.

Staff members were asked to make pledges under one of five routes that are scientifically proven to boost wellbeing; Keep Learning, Be Active, Take Notice, Give and Connect. In total 33 pledges were made, including: ‘learn how to play squash’, ‘take part in the NHS couch to 5k programme’ and ‘do 30 minutes of exercise every day for 100 days’.

‘Stop and have a proper lunch’, ‘start a book club’ and ‘join a dance class’ where also pledges that were given during the week.

James Rossington from Live Well Suffolk said: “We’re delighted with the response to our Pledge Week at West Suffolk Hospital and we would like to wish all staff members who made a pledge the best of luck. Research finds that people who live healthy and happy lives live on average seven and a half years longer than others and the Five Ways to Wellbeing actions are simple things individuals can do in their everyday lives to increase their health and wellbeing.”

Linda Buckland from West Suffolk Hospital added: “The Pledge Week was a fantastic opportunity for us to get staff thinking about small steps they could take towards improving their wellbeing. It was great to see so many staff getting behind the campaign and making pledges to a healthier lifestyle. Best of luck to everyone who got involved.”

We are now encouraging more local residents to get involved in the campaign by asking people to write their pledge down, take a selfie with it and share it on social media using the #livewell5.