Luxury Bedhampton care home offers health checks to its whole staff

Portsdown View, which is part of the Connaught Care Collection, has partnered with Bluecrest Wellness to deliver assessments to all employees of the home. A leading UK provider of employee-benefit health services, Bluecrest provides comprehensive health checks covering heart disease, stroke risk, ECGs, cholesterol levels, diabetes, protein and iron levels.

This company-funded package will help staff members to monitor their own wellbeing, stay healthy and detect any serious health issues early. Connaught staff will have rapid access to appointments, world-class laboratory facilities and fully personalised results reports with 24/7 GP follow-up support as standard.

The checks will also be rolled-out across every Connaught home, which according to CEO Andrew Winstanley is an industry-first for the UK care sector:

"We think this is absolutely the right thing to offer to our staff teams. When we founded the Connaught Care Collection, our vision was to create the kind of homes where both residents and staff feel they can really thrive. If our own team are happy and healthy both mentally and physically, then we know they are in the right frame of mind to deliver the outstanding care our residents deserve. We are therefore delighted to be working with Bluecrest Wellness to give all Connaught staff the opportunity and support they need to provide their absolute best care.”

The non-invasive tests will check for key health markers including liver and kidney function, cholesterol levels, diabetes risk, blood pressure, and mental well-being. Tests have already been administered to 100+ staff members across Connaught's four active homes, and will be offered to all staff in future homes that the group opens.

Connaught hopes this collaboration will help set a precedent for a more supportive, health-conscious work culture across the UK care industry and beyond. According to a recent whitepaper by Bluecrest, unhealthy habits like 'presenteeism' are still prevalent across UK workplaces. 76% of British adults report having worked whilst being unwell in the past year; almost half (48%) reported not wanting to let their team down; and one third (38%) did so because they simply couldn’t afford to take time off.

In addition, more than half (56%) reported feeling generally unwell or rundown over the past three months, compromising their ability to enjoy life and perform their best at work. Over time, this 'work until you drop' mentality can be harmful to both physical and mental wellbeing — and can compromise general productivity as well.

Dominique Kent, CEO of Bluecrest Wellness, says:

"As someone with personal experience in the care sector, I know how important the role carers play in society really is. Their work can really change lives, and so its crucial to help and support carers to be the best they can be. Through this project, we are keen to show supporting and prioritizing the individual wellbeing of staff is the best way to do that. In short: everyone matters, and the more employers invest in staff the more they get back in return".

Both Connaught and Bluecrest will be monitoring the results of the health checks to measure their long-term impact on the health and wellbeing of the staff. They will announce their findings in a 'case update' in the coming months.