NHS Stoke on Trent has launched the unlikely health initiative of issuing pedometers to 7,000 workers, in a bid to identify which staff are most at risk of falling ill because of their lifestyles.
The three-year project will see the 1,500 workers identified as most at risk of ill health having their health monitored. It is hoped that the scheme will tackle obesity, sickness absence and premature deaths among NHS staff in Stoke on Trent, which is reported to have the fourth worst activity rate of any local authority population in England.
Perhaps NHS staff in the city could take a leaf out of radiographer Peter Cartwright's book. Cartwright, who works at Guy's Hospital in central London, was so determined to get to work in the recent bad weather that he completed the final third of his 54-mile journey from Kent on foot. He stayed at the hospital for two nights to complete two further day shifts. He told newspapers that he enjoyed the 18-mile walk in the snow. He said, "I like walking, I was warm and had food on me, so I was fine. I also didn't want to let anyone down. It's a wonderful place to work and I thoroughly enjoy it."
Read more about the NHS initiative on The Sentinel and website and more about Peter Cartwright's epic journey on the United Press International website.
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