Development and evaluation of an educational training package to promote health and wellbeing

Background:
supporting the health and wellbeing of healthcare employees is a national priority in the UK.

Aims:
to design, deliver and evaluate an educational package to promote health and wellbeing for nurses and midwives.

Methods:
an online training package was developed and administered in two ways: online (HAWN-online) or in a face-to-face workshop (HAWN-contact). A mixed methods evaluation was used to assess usability and acceptability of HAWN training.

Findings:
316 nurses, midwives and students completed the online training package and 16 participants attended the workshop. HAWN-online significantly increased knowledge in core areas of workplace health and wellbeing. Nurses and midwives valued online and face-to-face delivery but found there were barriers to attendance at workshops. Participants advocated that training in workplace health should be mandatory for all frontline staff.

Conclusions:
employers should take steps to promote staff wellbeing through HAWN training, and address barriers to accessing workplace health training or supportive services.