20 July 2022

CNWL began the journey today towards obtaining Menopause Friendly Accreditation.

In a virtual launch event held for staff, the project team (sponsored by Chief People Officer, Charlotte Bailey, and Chief Nurse, Maria O'Brien) outlined the three step plan to accreditation

  1. Supporting CNWL employees experiencing peri-menopause or the Menopause to feel well informed, be confident to speak up about your experiences and be supported during your working life at CNWL
  2. Training and empowering managers across the Trust to increase their awareness and be able to have open, confidential and respectful conversations about the Menopause with staff
  3. Supporting colleagues to be able to support each other, friends and loved ones experiencing the Menopause.

At the launch event many staff shared their experiences of living with the menopause.

Charlotte, Maria and Soroyo Mhizha, Occupational Health Specialist Practitioner, said: 

"We have found that speaking openly about peri-menopause and menopause has been too infrequent.  As a consequence, many women continue to struggle with debilitating symptoms on their own. Statistics shows that many women leave their jobs, reduce their hours or pass up promotions because of their menopausal symptoms.

"We want staff at CNWL to bring your whole self to work, and this is recognised as a part of your health and wellbeing, as we commit to supporting you. Locally in your teams you will begin to notice: increased awareness, supportive and compassionate wellbeing conversations, and clear pathways with increased access and signposting to resources and support services.

"This initiative demonstrates our commitment to supporting staff health and wellbeing and also aligns to the NHS People Promise, the CNWL Health and Wellbeing Strategy, the Safe, Compassionate, Accountable, Reflective and Fair (SCARF) Culture Change Programme, CNWL Trust Values and our ‘Wellbeing for Life’ Vision."

Upcoming milestones on our way to CNWL Menopause Friendly Accreditation:

  • CNWL’s first Menopause Staff Survey Launch
  • Revamped Trustnet Menopause Page for staff
  • Updates to our staff records system - ESR - ensuring recordable Menopause absences to help inform how we support staff
  • Trustwide manager, HR and staff training sessions
  • Lunch time talks
  • Updated menopause guidance and factsheet

We invite staff to be our Lived Experience Experts. Your knowledge and experiences are crucial to informing us if we are getting it right and help us to communicate about this topic in a way that will be sensitive, meaningful and bring about the necessary changes across CNWL.

The project is led by CNWL’s Occupational Health and Wellbeing Team, in collaboration with the Women’s and 50+ Staff Network Co-Chairs and other stakeholders.  However, we strongly encourage all other Staff Networks to engage and be a part of the project, to offer diversity in approaches and experiences to ensure all staff are represented in the support we offer going forward.

Let's get talking about working with the menopause