Camaraderie, chats and crops help men tackle mental health

As part of our We All Belong campaign and to mark Staff Network Day, we are highlighting the work going on within our health board to give male staff a platform to tackle mental health and boost wellbeing.

Our Men’s Health Forum has been set up to provide a response to the ongoing, increasing and predominantly silent crisis in the health and wellbeing of men.

The work follows the successful introduction of menopause sessions and cafes during recent years. Service feedback has indicated the need for additional proactive support for diverse groups of men working within the organisation.

PICTURED: Roger Hurford was among the health board staff visiting Cae Felin with the Men's Health group.

The Men’s Health group recently visited the Cae Felin Community Supported Agriculture project next to Morriston Hospital.

Cae Felin, a not-for-profit organisation, is based on land owned by the health board, with staff and the public giving up their time to grow crops and plant trees along with creating a space for nature and wildlife to flourish.

Mathew Tidball, Allied Health Professions Lead for Occupational Health & Staff Wellbeing, said: “We know that early identification and intervention is important for patients and we want to support staff to adopt the same approach towards their health, so that it becomes more normal for men to discuss the issues that affect their health and wellbeing.

“As a group, we’ve previously visited Cae Felin and it was a big success in terms of the attendance and what each colleague took from it.

“This visit proved the same. It was an opportunity to be outdoors, do something practical and chat about whatever staff wanted to discuss.

“It’s hoped this initiative will encourage men to be more aware of the particular health issues that affect them and provide space for education, discussion and support.”

PICTURED: Julian Smith shovels some compost as part of the group's volunteer work at Cae Felin.

Attendees were given a talk about the site by Will Beasley, a consultant upper gastrointestinal surgeon in Morriston Hospital and a director and grower at Cae Felin.

Then they helped plant crops and flowers before taking a break and chatting over a hot drink overlooking the seven acres. 

Roger Hurford was among the staff attending the event for the first time.

Roger, a physiotherapist within paediatrics in Morriston Hospital, has spent the last 28 years with the health board.

He said: “My colleagues encouraged me to attend and my boss gave me some time off to take part.

“I’ve had a tough year so I needed to be part of something like this – an open space where guys like me can chat about anything that’s on their mind while, at the same time, doing something hands on.

“I love gardening – I find it very therapeutic, so this was perfect for me. I’m going to volunteer for Cae Felin after this experience.”

PICTURED: Neeraj Sharma and Will Beasley work together during the visit.

Richard Jones was first alerted to the group after reading about it on the intranet.

He works as part of the medical director’s department in Baglan. He said: “I’m really mindful of the impact of wellbeing so I wanted to be part of the group.

“I do a lot of cold water swimming and run ultra marathons because I feel good doing it. Visiting Cae Felin was a very different type of benefit to my wellbeing, but it was a brilliant opportunity for male staff to come together, chat and do something together in the open air. It’s perfect.”

It also proved an ideal combination for green-fingered Julian Smith, who works part-time as an occupational therapist in Cimla Hospital.

Julian said: “I was sent an email about the event and as I love gardening – I have my own business which I work part-time – this was perfect.

“I find it very therapeutic and it has given my mental health a big boost. Being out in the fresh air, among a good set of lads, doing some gardening with the sun on my back was a perfect way to spend a few hours.”

For GP Neeraj Sharma, a GP working in Same Day Emergency Care in Morriston Hospital, being involved in the visit and the Men’s Health group was a case of practising what he preaches.

PICTURED: Richard Jones competes in ultra marathons and does cold water swimming, but also finds gardening a good way of boosting his wellbeing.

Neeraj said: “I am a GP and I see a lot of patients who have struggles with their mental health.

“Wellbeing and mental health is so important, and men, generally, have found it a difficult subject to encounter and I encourage patients to look at ways of improving that.

“The thing that stood out for me during my visit to Cae Felin was that it provided a platform for people to speak freely about their own struggles with mental health.

“The truth is that most men go through tough times but they don’t necessarily find a safe space to communicate their thoughts, learn from other people’s experience and understand what can actually help them. I have been through a tough time where I felt very isolated, so I knew I needed to do something about that.

“The Men’s Health group is a fantastic platform that gives male staff a chance to share any problems they have or just a topic they’d like to discuss while doing something stimulating at the same time.

"I have an interest in gardening and I also do laughing yoga, so exploring different ways of boosting my mental health and wellbeing is something I’m always looking at doing – this was perfect!”

• Swansea Bay University Health Board is committed to recognising everyone whether as a patient, family member or colleague as an individual and helping them to access and feel they belong in our services and our workplace.
• Our staff and the public have told us that we have more work to do in this area, so we have launched our three-year Strategic Equality Plan called We All Belong, which sets out the positive steps we are taking in response. And throughout May and June in our We All Belong campaign, we will be explaining more about what the plan is, what it means and why belonging is important