shifting gears in workplace health and wellbeing: victorian update denise laughlin senior public...

Shifting gears in workplace health and wellbeing: Victorian update

Denise Laughlin

Senior Public Health Advisor

Population Health and Prevention Strategy

Department of Health and Human Services, Victoria

Prevention challenge of the 21st Century

It remains that with the exception of tobacco, our efforts have, as yet, had little effect in achieving the core goal of prevention to improve the health of the population and reduce preventable illness from chronic disease.

The enormity of chronic disease in Australia

“Many economists argue that the low hanging productivity fruit has been picked. But there are big gains to be made in areas like chronic disease prevention that normally gets put in the social policy basket”

Craig Emerson, Australian Financial Review, 28 September 2015

Preventable chronic disease and the workforce

Why is prevention important to workplaces?

A shared problem, from different perspectives

Key developments in workplace health in Victoria

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

WorkHealth commenced

Premier’s Healthy

Workers and Families

Taskforce

Healthy Together Victoria

commenced

Achievement Program for workplaces

commenced  

WorkHealth Improvement

Networks  

Victorian Public Health and

Wellbeing Plan (2015- 2019)

National Partnership on

Preventive Health signed

Healthy Workers Initiative

Victorian Public Health

and Wellbeing Act 2008 enacted

Victorian Public Health and

Wellbeing Plan (2011 -2015)

Targeted local investment in

12 areas (representing 14

LGAs)

Ministerial WorkHealth

Advisory Group announced

WorkHealth checks

commenced 

WorkHealth checks

concluded 

WorkHealth – a statewide workplace health promotion initiative (2008-2013)

A voluntary program delivered by WorkSafe Victoria dedicated to educating and empowering employers and workers

800,000 WorkHealth Checks 38,000 workplaces1,800 workplace grants51,000 workers accessing support programs

‘Culture of care’,

alongside ‘culture of

compliance’

Workplace health

promotion works best

when built on sound OHS

Whole of system approach at scale across local government and the state

Creating healthy environments: the Achievement Program as a framework for prevention

Creating healthy environments in:

• Early childhood services

• Primary schools

• Secondary schools

• Workplaces

Video

Reaching workplaces at scale

Commenced in 2013

•An evidence based health and wellbeing framework

•Best practice benchmarks to achieve

•Guidelines and support available

Registrations to date:

Creating a healthier workplace through the Achievement Program

Quality improvement process

•Leadership commitment and staff engagement are crucial.

•Process to assess organisational priorities and take action to support improvements.

•Focused on five health priorities.

Achievement Program: sign-up across industry sectors

4. What does it look like?

Healthy Eating Advisory Service

Achievement Program – Frameworks and benchmarks for health promotion

System evaluation and monitoring

Minister and Mayors Network

Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise – Creating a vibrant healthy eating culture

Networks of practice

Leadership for Prevention Strategy

Healthy Together ExchangeHealthy Together Patrons

Healthy Food Charter

Health promotion policy for children and young people

Fresh Food RecoveryHealthy Food Connect

Health Champions

Local social marketing campaigns

Healthy Living Programs and Strategies

Combined Prevention teams

Local leadership networks

Healthy Eating Advisory Service

Achievement Program

Healthy Living Programs and Strategies

Achievement Program

Healthy Eating and Food Literacy in Secondary Schools

Healthy Eating Advisory Service

Healthy Eating Advisory Service

Achievement Program – Frameworks and benchmarks for health promotion

System evaluation and monitoring

Minister and Mayors Network

Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise – Creating a vibrant healthy eating culture

Networks of practice

Leadership for Prevention Strategy

Healthy Together ExchangeHealthy Together Patrons

Healthy Food Charter

Health promotion policy for children and young people

Fresh Food RecoveryHealthy Food Connect

Health Champions

Local social marketing campaigns

Healthy Living Programs and Strategies

Combined Prevention teams

Local leadership networks

Healthy Eating Advisory Service

Achievement Program

Healthy Living Programs and Strategies

Achievement Program

Healthy Eating and Food Literacy in Secondary Schools

Healthy Eating Advisory Service

Active Cities Melbourne

Premier’s Active April

Infant

HelpHer

Knowledge and Data System

CEOs Network

‘Start with’ campaign

Victoria Walks

Healthy by Design

Public Health and Wellbeing Plan

Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plans

Healthy Food Procurement for govt and funded services

Healthy Choices for Hospitals

Health economics

Healthy Choices: Healthy eating policy and catering guide for workplaces

Children’s settings networks

Business networks

Life!

Live Lighter campaign

Healthy Together Victoria – expanding the prevention system

Victorian Active Living Enterprise

Annual Conference

Leadership and partnerships at the local level creating change in workplaces…

Leadership from business leaders: •Silver Chef achieves gold with the Healthy Together Achievement Program

Healthy business: • improving Geelong Football Club employees’ health

and wellbeing through participating in the Achievement Program

• encouraging other workplaces to sign up to the Achievement Program

…and creating a healthy community

Healthy community:•Geelong Cats players as Health Champions

•improved provision of healthy food at the Football Stadium

•tools and support for the community to quit smoking

•social media encouraging the community to get healthy together

WorkHealth: from health promotion to an integrated approach to worker health, safety and wellbeing

Integrated approaches to worker health, safety and wellbeing

WorkHealth Improvement Networks

Building on existing efforts to take workplace health further in Victoria

More information

Denise Laughlin

Senior Public Health Advisor

Population Health & Prevention Strategy

Department of Health & Human Services

Denise.Laughlin@dhhs.vic.gov.au

The ‘waves’ of public health

Fifth wave of Public Health

Systems thinking

Minimise factors that lead to unhealthy

choices

Maximise value of public health

Promote healthy choices as default position