Business Action on Public Health Employee Health and Wellbeing Bedfordshire and Luton Employers Practitioner Event ‘Alcohol and its impact on workplace productivity’ 6 th November am-12.00

Debbie Longhurst Project Manager, for Business Action on Public Health Business in the Community – East of England

Transforming business transforming communities

Taking Action To tackle workplace health and wellbeing consider influence on wider public health & “Public health is everyone’s responsibility and there is a role for all of us, working in partnership, in tackling these challenges.”

Workplace Support Workplace champions Mental wellbeing Healthy Eating Managing Alcohol Physical wellbeing No smoking Fact ‘Employees who are physically active take 27% fewer days off sick’ Fact ‘25% of sick days taken are as a result of stress’ Fact ‘On average smokers take 4.4 more days off sick than non- smokers’

Why Alcohol is an issue? Alcohol is 45% more affordable than it was in 1980 Alcohol misuse costs England approximately £21bn per year in healthcare, crime and lost productivity costs Average alcohol consumption has gradually fallen in many OECD countries between 1980 and 2009 with an average overall decrease of 9%. The United Kingdom however, has seen an increase of over 9% in these three decades Alcohol is a causal factor in more than 60 medical conditions, including: mouth, throat, stomach, liver and breast cancers; high blood pressure, cirrhosis of the liver; and depression

Drinking behaviour 34% of men and 28% of women drank more than recommended (4 units for men, 3 for women) on at least one day in the last week. Excluding those who didn’t drink at all in the last week the figure rises to 52% of men and 53% of women 18% of men and 12% of women drank heavily (at least twice the recommended limits) on at least one day in the last week. Excluding those who didn’t drink at all in the last week the figure rises to 27% of men and 22% of women 9% of men and 6% of women drank very heavily (at least three times the recommended limits) on at least one day in the last week. Excluding those who didn’t drink at all in the last week the figure rises to 14% of men and 12% of women

Drinking behaviour Adults living in households in the highest income quintile are twice as likely to drink heavily as adults in lowest income quintile - 22% compared to 10% Older people tend to drink more frequently than younger. The proportion of adults who drank every day increased with each group - just 1% of age group had drunk every day during the previous week, 4% in 25-44, 9% in and 13% in 65+ Younger people tend to drink more heavily (exceeding 8 units for men and 6 units for women) on a single occasion than older people. 6% of men aged 65 and over had drunk heavily on at least one day in the previous week, compared with 19% of men aged 45 to 64, 24% of men aged and 22% of men aged 16 to 24. Among women the corresponding age groups were 2%, 12%, 16% and 18%

Project Successes 200 employers support the project across East of England Free workplace support now available from Public Health teams Over 15 case studies available to showcase local good practice 72 delegates gained benefit from a pilot programme for Mental Health lite across Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Increasing use of Governments Public health responsibility deal to give employers a platform for their wellbeing strategy; local partners include Mills & Reeve solicitors Essex & Suffolk water Unilever Bourne leisure

Summary Please complete the evaluation sheet Presentations will be on our web page –link will be sent to you S

Public Health Responsibility Deal Sign up and pledge to improve public health in England Health at Work network “We will actively support our workforce to live healthier lives” The Public Health Responsibility Deal taps into the important role that employers play in creating an environment that supports people to lead healthier lives and through them create healthier, more productive businesses. Public Health Responsibility Deal

Gives workplaces a platform for their wellbeing strategy and demonstrates to staff the impact their health has on the business’ bottom line. Signing up sends a strong public message about an employer’s commitment to taking action to improve the health of their employees, their business and the wider community. Why pledge?

H01. Chronic Conditions Guide H02. Occupational Health Standards H03. Health & Wellbeing Report H04. Healthier Staff Restaurants H05. Smoking Cessation/Respiratory Health H06. Staff Health Checks H07. Mental Health and Wellbeing H08. Young People in the Workplace H09. Domestic Violence H10. Construction and Civil Engineering Industries Health at work pledges

18-24 November 2013 The aim of Alcohol Awareness Week is to get people thinking about alcohol - how it affects us as individuals, families, communities and society. By encouraging people to have the right conversations about alcohol we hope to make changes to our relationship with alcohol in the UK. See your event packs for more information and BITC web page

Our support offer/business-action-public-health Thank you to our host E.ON and our presenters