A scoping review of UK local government workplace health and wellbeing programmes
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background
Workplace settings are linked to staff health and wellbeing, affecting sickness absence,
presenteeism and productivity. With the growing prevalence of health issues among
employees in the UK, including stress and long-term conditions, effective workplace
health and wellbeing support by local government can play a crucial role in keeping
people economically active and well.
Objective
Identify and characterise workplace health and wellbeing programmes offered by local
authorities within the United Kingdom.
Methods
A scoping review involved a comprehensive search of Local Authority Districts (LADs)
and county councils' websites followed by direct communications between 1 January
2024 and 30 April 2024. Initiatives were included if they were designed to enhance
workplace health and wellbeing, actively ongoing and offered at no cost to workplaces.
Data were extracted on the initiative name, provider, deprivation level, health focus,
workplace eligibility and accreditation processes.
Results
The review identified 61 active local government workplace health programmes across
the UK in March 2024, reflecting a 21% provision among local authorities. These
initiatives were homogenous in focus, scope of coverage and implementation methods,
with all focusing on general health. Geographical mapping highlighted regional disparities
in the provision of workplace health and wellbeing initiatives that are free at the point of
access (WHISPAs). England had a higher number (Central, Southern, and Southeastern
regions specifically) while the rest of England, Wales, Scotland and North Ireland had a
lower number or no WHISPAs.
Conclusion
There is a need for more coordinated efforts to increase the visibility and accessibility of
local government workplace health initiatives that are free at the point of access. National
workplace health accreditation could further encourage employers to adopt health and
wellbeing programmes.
Workplace settings are linked to staff health and wellbeing, affecting sickness absence,
presenteeism and productivity. With the growing prevalence of health issues among
employees in the UK, including stress and long-term conditions, effective workplace
health and wellbeing support by local government can play a crucial role in keeping
people economically active and well.
Objective
Identify and characterise workplace health and wellbeing programmes offered by local
authorities within the United Kingdom.
Methods
A scoping review involved a comprehensive search of Local Authority Districts (LADs)
and county councils' websites followed by direct communications between 1 January
2024 and 30 April 2024. Initiatives were included if they were designed to enhance
workplace health and wellbeing, actively ongoing and offered at no cost to workplaces.
Data were extracted on the initiative name, provider, deprivation level, health focus,
workplace eligibility and accreditation processes.
Results
The review identified 61 active local government workplace health programmes across
the UK in March 2024, reflecting a 21% provision among local authorities. These
initiatives were homogenous in focus, scope of coverage and implementation methods,
with all focusing on general health. Geographical mapping highlighted regional disparities
in the provision of workplace health and wellbeing initiatives that are free at the point of
access (WHISPAs). England had a higher number (Central, Southern, and Southeastern
regions specifically) while the rest of England, Wales, Scotland and North Ireland had a
lower number or no WHISPAs.
Conclusion
There is a need for more coordinated efforts to increase the visibility and accessibility of
local government workplace health initiatives that are free at the point of access. National
workplace health accreditation could further encourage employers to adopt health and
wellbeing programmes.
Date Issued
2025-06-07
Date Acceptance
2025-05-14
Citation
BMC Public Health, 2025, 25
ISSN
1471-2458
Publisher
BMC
Journal / Book Title
BMC Public Health
Volume
25
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2025 Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
10.1186/s12889-025-23176-3
Subjects
Employee health
Public health
Sickness absence
UK
Wellbeing initiatives
Workplace health
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
2138
Date Publish Online
2025-06-07