Joined Up Care Derbyshire Wins Menopause Friendly Employer Award

Joined Up Care Derbyshire (JUCD) were delighted to be announced as the winners of the Most Inclusive Menopause Friendly Employer Award at the prestigious 2023 Menopause Friendly Employer Awards ceremony on 14th September 2023.

The Most Inclusive Menopause Friendly Employer was a new category for 2023 and attracted a large number of applications from organisations who shared how they ensure menopause is an all-colleague consideration.

There were excellent examples of how all communities within the workplace can come together to better understand and best support menopause. And entrants displayed great intersectional activity that engaged a wide range of groups and communities impacted by menopause at work.

The JUCD Menopause team wowed the judges with its wealth of menopause programmes and initiatives created to help support its health and social care colleagues across Derbyshire, Derby City and East Staffordshire.

The ongoing menopause support includes a range of monthly menopause cafés, menopause nutrition webinars, menopause practitioner Q&A’s and Manager and Leader Menopause workforce support sessions.

By collaborating with Equality, Diversity and Inclusion staff networks, the team ensured they gained a rich understanding of their colleagues’ needs. From this the team went on to create two menopause support networks for their ethnically diverse and LGBTQ+ colleagues, along with BAME online menopause cafes. 

The team were praised by the Independent Panel for its rich understanding of menopause inclusivity in the workplace. Of special note is the Menopause Inequalities Programme which seeks to better understand and support the impact of ethnicity and diverse gender identities. 

The Panel agreed that Joined up Care Derbyshire has successfully created an environment where all colleagues feel understood and heard and are fully engaged with their menopause journey. 

Nicola Bullen, Associate Director for Health, Safety and Wellbeing at UHDB, expressed her delight at seeing the team’s efforts recognised on a national level and praised their commitment and compassion to supporting colleagues:

Supporting colleagues during the menopause is so important, and I am immensely proud of the team for their ongoing passion and dedication to do all they can to ensure each and every one of our colleagues across the region has access to the support they need.

“To have seen our efforts recognised on such a scale, and to see us come out on top against some huge organisations is a testament to everyone’s hard work, and I am so excited to see what more we can do to support NHS colleagues in the future.

Caroline Wade, Senior Responsible Officer, JUCD Health and Wellbeing/ Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development, Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said:

We are delighted to receive the award for the Most Inclusive Menopause Friendly Employer, and we owe a huge amount to Nicola Bullen, Steph Taylor and the team, for driving our work in this area.  

Our colleagues across Derbyshire provide exceptional care to our patients every day and we are very proud of our efforts to ensure the impact which menopause can have on our colleagues is better understood, and to create safe and inclusive spaces for team members to come together and receive compassionate care and support.

Hosted by Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace and powered by headline sponsors HSBC UK, first direct, M&S Bank and Peppy, the industry-recognised Menopause Friendly Employer Awards were presented by broadcaster Louise Minchin on Thursday September 14, 2023 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel. Over 350 guests gathered there while another 250 joined virtually from across the country.

Now in its second year, the 2023 Menopause Friendly Employer Awards recognise organisations and individuals whose commitment and determination have succeeded in providing support, solutions and resources that normalise menopause in the workplace.

Find out more about the wealth of menopause support available for JUCD colleagues by visiting the team’s Wellbeing Timetable