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Fitbug Initiative – part of the Workplace Health Programme
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By: NHS Lambeth
Change in travel habits. People get off the bus maybe a few stops earlier to do some walking, or pop outside for a walk at lunch time. Overall awareness of active travel and the benefits of walking have been raised not only among Fitbug users, but amongst others who have heard of the scheme but are not yet actively taking part. There has been weight loss and improved fitness levels amongst participants, and this hopefully is leading to other benefits such as improved concentration, and generally happier staff!
Fitbug is a motivational tool comprising of a high-spec pedometer and a web based support programme. The aim of Fitbug is to assist staff in meeting their individual health goals. We wanted to support our staff with a flexible approach that was individual, easy to do and motivated them to keep going.
When a person joins the scheme, they are given an induction to help use the Fitbug and online monitoring, and Claudette is able to offer assistance during the programme if required. Staff are able to keep their Fitbugs, if they want to if they retire or move organisation.
Initially Fitbug was run for a for one year pilot with the potential for 400 members of staff, during this time 300 people signed up, and due to it’s success the programme has been extended for one more year. Also, as an incentive, the 100 most avid users from the first year have been given the opportunity to continue with an NHS sponsored Fitbug (rather than having to pay for online monitoring themselves – this rate is discounted for other users, and can be for 3, 6 or 12 mths). Avid users were defined as the most active in terms of using and uploading information – not necessarily the overall most number of steps.
At the start of the scheme all participants, before they are inducted with their own Fitbug, are taken through Fit Lab which measures blood pressure, weight, BMI etc. This is part of the promotion, and another way of enticing people to join. This, and information gained during the induction such as stride length, is used to set the baseline and targets for each individual Fitbug user. An easy system of colour coding helps users see how they are doing – and everyone wants to avoid having a grey day!
http://www.fitbug.com/uk.corporate
Update Summer 2011:
Successfully ran Fitbug Scheme, and helped promote to other orgs. Initially Fitbug was run for a for one year pilot with the potential for 400 members of staff, during this time 300 people signed up, and due to it’s success the programme has been extended for one more year. Also, as an incentive, the 100 most avid users from the first year have been given the opportunity to continue with an NHS sponsored Fitbug (rather than having to pay for online monitoring themselves – this rate is discounted for other users, and can be for 3, 6 or 12 mths). Avid users were defined as the most active in terms of using and uploading information – not necessarily the overall most number of steps
Across all sites – any staff member can apply. Main office is in SE1
NICE Guidance on workplace health and tackling obesity, NHS organisations focussing on the workplace health aspect and leading by example. Annual staff survey, Clinical Review outcomes
Fitbug - Corporate Scheme.
Walking Project – External consultants who helped map walks in the local area around several of the main NHS centres “Thinking Cities”. This was linked to another initiative developing walking routes, mainly aimed at lunchtime walkers. Positive spin offs from this included commuter maps – helping people work out good walking routes from different transport hubs.Also Lambeth Council and SELTRANS
There is a new Sustainability Group within the NHS Trust, and one thing they will be looking at it travel. Hope in the future to be able to make some progress on capturing the amount of CO2 that is being saved by more people choosing to walk, at least part of many of their regular journeys.
09/06/2009
ongoing
The programme is still running so have not reported yet, but will do next year.
Fitbug – corporate scheme
Claudette Edwards, Staff Support Manager, claudette.edwards@selssp.nhs.uk, 020 304 94155