We are delighted to announce the official opening of the Staff Wellbeing Centre at University Hospital Ayr on Monday 26 June 2023.
The centre at Ayr is the last of three wellbeing suites to be officially opened for all health and social care staff in NHS Ayrshire & Arran. The first at Ayrshire Central Hospital opened in September last year, and was followed by the centre in University Hospital Crosshouse earlier this year.
The wellbeing centres provide staff – both clinical and non-clinical – across our entire health and care system with a space to recuperate and relax, away from clinical settings, where they can take a much needed rest.
The centres aim to help mitigate the emotional, physical and personal challenges that staff can face, by offering a quiet sanctuary where they can access services, such as clinical psychology service, medical peer support, chaplaincy and staff care.
The official opening was attended by Chief Executive Claire Burden, Medical Director Crawford McGuffie and the extended team, alongside Scotland’s Deputy National Clinical Director, John Harden.
Dr Crawford McGuffie, Medical Director for NHS Ayrshire & Arran said,
“The Staff Wellbeing Centres are a fantastic example of providing an amazing space to allow staff to come together. This shared space facilitates staff connection and a place where additional support can be accessed if required.
“It is important that our staff are supported to remain well so they can continue to provide care to our citizens. We all do difficult jobs and we have all faced sustained pressures over the last three years and this is a very important part of our well-being response to support colleagues. We have created this space for all colleagues to access and these centres will support staff in their emotional and physical wellbeing.
“I’d like to give huge thanks to the many individuals who have contributed to this work.”
Dr John Harden, Scotland’s Deputy National Clinical Director said:
“The Staff Wellbeing Centre here at University Hospital Ayr, and the two others like it, recognises the need for our workforce to have a place where they can decompress, out of the public eye.
“To ensure stable, effective and functioning health and care services we must take care of the people who provide this care. For many of us what we see in our day-to-day work, and what we lived through in the pandemic, has made it harder to find meaning and satisfaction in our work. Yet it is by finding meaning and satisfaction in what we do that is so crucial in preventing burnout and disillusionment.
“I hope the NHS Ayrshire & Arran team enjoy these facilities and know that every person working in health and care is needed and appreciated. We are enormously grateful to each and every one of you for what you do.”