World Menopause Day takes place on Wednesday 18th October, targeted at raising awareness of the menopause as well as the support options available to help improve the health and wellbeing of those who experience its symptoms.

To mark the occasion, a stall will be held in The Hub this Wednesday between 11:30am – 2:00pm, where colleagues will be able to pop along and learn more about the support available to them in the workplace – including some new additions! Here we’ll welcome along some of our Menopause Warriors, and we’ll also be joined by our Library Team, who will be on hand with relevant publications that could be of use to those who experience symptoms.

More than three quarters of the NHS workforce are women, with 20% of the workforce women who are in the age range where they are most likely to experience symptoms of menopause or perimenopause. Six out of ten colleagues who experience these symptoms (which can include hot flushes, muscle aches and joint pains, headaches and migraines, changes in periods, mood changes, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, brain fog and more) say that their symptoms have a negative impact on their work.

What’s new?:

To help tackle this – and as part of our continuing journey to become a menopause-friendly accredited employer, this year we’ll be sharing more about our plans to launch a Menopause Awareness Training session in the early parts of the new year. Some of our colleagues have already completed ‘Train the Trainer’ sessions – and are now looking at putting together a useful course for colleagues here at Gateshead,

Also new for this year will be the launch of the Menopause Passport. Similar to our Carer’s Passport, the document is designed to give staff the opportunity to discuss how their symptoms are impacting them, while also providing managers with the opportunity to ask questions and work to implement useful support and/or adjustments where reasonable and possible. The template for this can be downloaded here – available to download any time on our menopause page or StaffZone.

What else is available?

More support can be found over on our Menopause webpage, where you’ll be able to learn more about our Menopause Warriors and their Menopause Buddy offer; find out more about how Hormone Replacement Therapy could help you and how you can access this for less; download useful resources; learn more about how we’re documenting absence due to symptoms to better understand impact of menopause on our workforce; complete eLearning courses around menopause and be signposted to useful apps for managing and tracking symptoms.

Of course, much of our work elsewhere can also help those experiencing symptoms. As an example of this, our Occupational Health and Wellbeing Physiotherapy Service might be useful for those experiencing aches and pains; resources on our Sleep page might help you get a better night’s kip, and discounted gym memberships and/or healthier eating might be the key to unlocking both psychological and physical benefits.

You might not be aware, but in partnership with our friends at Henpicked, there is also a host of exclusive content around the topic of menopause over on the Occupational Health and Wellbeing area in StaffZone, including guides, webinars, podcasts, reads and much more. This must be kept private, hence it can’t be hosted on our public-facing website – make sure you aren’t missing out by popping over to the page.

Webinars:

Also taking place over the next couple of weeks are a series of online menopause sessions through NHS Menopause Hub, as follows:

  • The Importance of Ethnicity and Menopause – Monday 16th October, 1:00pm – 2:00pm
  • Queering the Menopause – Tuesday 17th October, 12:30pm – 1:30pm
  • Menopause Yoga – Wednesday 18th October, 08:00am – 08:30am
  • Transgender and LGBTQIA+ Community and Menopause – Thursday 19th October, 2:00pm – 3:00pm
  • Menopause and Reasonable Adjustments at Work – Monday 23rd October, 12:30pm – 1:30pm
  • Inequalities in Menopause Care – Tuesday 24th October, 12:00pm – 1:00pm
  • Menopause Yoga – Wednesday 25th October, 08:00am – 08:30am
  • Menopause and Hair Loss Support – Wednesday 25th October, 4:00pm – 4:45pm
  • Menopause and Nutrition – Friday 27th October, 12:00pm – 1:00pm

To book onto any of these sessions, just visit the NHS Menopause Hub.