Our Future Our Way: Creating the conditions to thrive and improve wellbeing

Overview

Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) provides community health and mental health support to over one million people living in Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland. ​It has 8500 staff based in over 100 sites, and its services touch the lives of people of all ages and a variety of needs.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff experienced a cumulative impact on their health and wellbeing, which led LPT to make improvements to their staff experience offer. 

What the trust faced

In 2019, staff in the trust experienced the cumulative impact of the pandemic on health and wellbeing. Staff feedback indicated low levels of morale and burnout. The culture was fractured, staff wellbeing and engagement scores were low, and staff turnover was above expected levels. 

Therefore, the trust wanted to make a systematic and sustained improvement in staff experience and address issues such as retention and working culture as part of its road to recovery. 

What the trust did

To ensure meaningful and lasting change, the programme needed to be co‑designed with staff, for staff. Using NHS England’s Discover, Design, Deliver methodology, the trust shaped what became their Our Future Our Way programme, a collaborative approach grounded in staff insight, shared ownership and collective improvement.

The trust reviewed its Workforce Health and Wellbeing Strategy in three phases, using national health and wellbeing frameworks and engaging staff and local champions.

Results and benefits

 The trust has achieved:

• Blended and agile working: They have aligned systems and guidance with the NHS Employers Home and Hybrid Working Framework, enabling staff to work flexibly and safely across multiple sites.
• Healthy working day implementation: They have promoted key principles, including protected breaks, ergonomic workspaces, supportive line management and clear boundaries between work and personal time.
• Wellbeing across all settings: They have delivered tailored support for MSK, menopause, and mental health, alongside flexible scheduling, and improved access to rest spaces.
• Team connection and culture: They encourage weekly check-ins, informal connection opportunities, and shared tools to help teams stay aligned and celebrate together, wherever they’re based.
• Ongoing support: Staff and leaders now have access to digital wellbeing resources, champions, and guidance to help maintain a healthy working day in any role or location.

These actions have significantly improved staff perceptions of health and wellbeing support from their employer.

In the national NHS Staff Survey, the percentage of staff believing that the employer is taking positive action on health and wellbeing rose from 66.77 per cent in 2023 to 69.51 per cent in 2024. The trust moved from being just above average in 2021 to being in the top quartile on this indicator in 2024. 

Last year, over 98 per cent of staff said that the Our Future Our Way programme made a positive difference to their team’s health and wellbeing.

Moreover, the trust was accredited as a healthy employer via the Healthy Workplace Leicestershire as an engaged employer, now committed, as well as signing up and being accredited as a mindful employer. 

They have received significant assurance in the recent 360 Assurance audit, confirming that their approach is fully aligned with the NHS Health and Wellbeing Framework (June 2024). Their work was also spotlighted by Dr Steve Boorman, author of the diagnostic tool, during his guest speaker appearance at the NHS Employers East Midlands SPF, where LPT was recognised for excellent wellbeing practice.

Finally, the trust was shortlisted as a finalist for the HSJ Staff Wellbeing Award 2025, recognising its commitment to going above and beyond in delivering the Our Future Our Way programme. Building on this momentum, the trust is continuing to strengthen its strategy, and approach to wellbeing and culture, creating the conditions for LPT to be a great place to receive care, to work, and to thrive.

Overcoming challenges

LPT faced the challenge of coordinating wellbeing support across over 100 sites. They tackled this by creating a network of local wellbeing champions, supported by central guidance and flexible tools that could be adapted to each site.

As a mental health and community trust, many staff work remotely or overnight, making it challenging to create a sense of connection and shared wellbeing culture. To help teams reconnect and access support, they introduced initiatives like Team Time Out, wellbeing check-ins, digital resources, and targeted support for line managers to support their staff.

The organisation also faced the challenge of meeting diverse wellbeing needs across a geographically and demographically varied workforce. Using feedback from staff surveys and diagnostic tools, LPT tailored their offer to include bilingual wellbeing sessions, menopause support, MSK health resources, mental health pathways, face-to-face events, as well as webinars and online sessions and improvements to physical workspaces, ensuring an inclusive and responsive approach.

Top tips

• Start by listening. Create regular opportunities for staff to share feedback and shape wellbeing plans that reflect their lived experience.
• Engage with your staff and local health and wellbeing champions. The trust asked staff what their vision for a healthy employer was and their priority issues. This has been incorporated into the trust’s vision and strategy.
• Targeted leadership support and development is key. Use leadership events to gain buy in and give leaders the tools to make a difference.
• Encourage teams to take protected time out together to recharge, reconnect and strengthen relationships.
• Support managers with tools to help their confidence in leading wellbeing conversations and spot early signs of burnout.
• Make wellbeing resources easy to find and highlight local champions who can offer peer support.
• Go back to basics. Invest in simple non-negotiables like ensuring staff have a safe, comfortable space to take breaks. Prioritise supervision and reflective practice, especially in emotionally demanding roles.
• Raise awareness through visible campaigns and face-to-face conversations, not just digital channels. Secure executive buy-in and onboard managers early, so wellbeing is embedded from the top down.