Free & Confidential Medical & Wellbeing Services for Staff, Pupils and Leadership Team
Included in all SAS policies, at no additional cost, are our extensive medical and wellbeing services for staff. Our philosophy at SAS is to work with our Schools to prevent and reduce staff absence. All of the physical and mental health support we offer School staff are designed and implemented by our team of experienced, in-house Nurses. We aim to help keep School staff in work, ensuring the children get the best possible opportunity to succeed. In 2023 over 60% of staff that accessed our health & wellbeing services were not absent from work at all. All services are delivered by our team on in-house nurses rather than being outsourced to an EAP.
Health Screen Days: Our nurses can come to each school once per policy year to carry out health checks on BMI, cholesterol, blood pressure, urinalysis and give advice & support surrounding diet, exercise, cancer awareness & lifestyle.
Occupational Health: Full access to pre-employment health checks and we can build in cover for unlimited OH referrals for staff.
Unlimited Counselling: SAS offer solution focused therapy sessions to staff. The counselling we offer is unlimited – we will continue to provide counselling support until the counsellor advises it is no longer required. Upon contacting the counselling team, the staff member is given an initial triage assessment where the root cause of the stress is determined. Based on this, the staff member is assigned to the most relevant counsellor. The counsellor will remain consistent throughout all the counselling sessions.
Preparing Parents: online webinar sessions helping to support parents prior to, during, and after parental leave as they return to the working environment.
ManSpace Hub: mental and physical health support for men’s health related queries. This support is not only for men seeking advice about their own health and wellbeing, but also for those looking to support a loved one with a condition they are experiencing.
Stress Risk Management workshops: An SAS nurse can run a 1-2 hour workshop for around 20 people to focusses on how to identify stress in yourself and others, along with developing coping mechanisms if symptoms develop. We also can run workshops on relaxation and how to avoid suffering from burnout. This is traditionally done face to face at the school or via video call.
Mindfulness: We have a mindfulness & wellbeing consultant who delivers guided weekly podcasts focused on mindful meditation, relaxation and hypnosis.
Physiotherapy: SAS are happy to support any condition where a GP has recommended physiotherapy as treatment. We use the Physio Network to find recommended physiotherapists nationwide so staff can access local support. We guarantee to place referrals with a physiotherapist within a week. Each staff member has access to 5 face to face sessions of physiotherapy per policy year.
Chronic Illness Support: If a staff member is suffering from a serious chronic illness, along with vital emotional support, SAS will cover the cost of additional complementary therapies, such as acupuncture or reflexology, that assist with the physical or psychological symptoms of coping with a chronic illness.
Weight Management: SAS work in partnership with Slimming World to provide a 12-week weight management service for staff with a BMI above 30.
Ask the PT: Gareth is our in-house fitness and nutrition expert. He will work with staff of any shape and size to support their fitness, nutrition and weight loss goals as well as running video-based sessions and online support groups. Plus, access to an in-house fitness and nutrition expert who will work with insured staff of any shape and size to support their fitness, nutrition and weight loss goals as well as running video-based sessions.
Menopause Support: SAS work in partnership with Simply Hormones to provide support to staff regarding menopause. Our in-house Nurses have undertaken intense courses to be able to provide this support and can also offer a webinar workshop.
24/7 GP Helpline Support: Telephone medical advice for staff and their children that is accessible worldwide, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. All calls go through to active NHS GPs that provide the highest level of medical support & advice. It is the only GP service provider with unlimited consultation length & no limit to the number of times the service can be used. Staff can even arrange their prescription through the service and arrange for it to be collected locally.
Integrated GP Service: Rather than contacting their local GP, staff can call our integrated GP service and get prescriptions to pick up at a local pharmacy.
We also offer Pupil Wellbeing Support Services: All Pupil Wellbeing Support is designed to meet the new Ofsted assessment criteria introduced in September 2019 that introduced a focus on a pupils maintaining ‘physically and mentally healthy’.
Be A Champion: Be A Champion is a pupil health and wellbeing programme developed in partnership with SAS and Rugby League legend Jamie Peacock. It is an 8 week programme that focuses on encouraging pupils to sleep well, eat healthily, engage in physical activity and have a positive mindset. This comes with lesson plans and books for the pupils.
Pupil Counselling: The pupil counselling service includes an initial assessment plus an additional 6-8, 40 minute sessions (but flexible depending on the requirements of the pupil). Each school can access counselling for 1 pupil per policy year. The service is designed to help pupils with a wide range of needs and includes flexible online sessions which are logged and monitored. All therapists are insured, BACP registered and appropriately supervised.
Fast-tracked access to Speech and Language Therapy: This is done via an online class over a 12-week course. Each school can access speech and language therapy for 1 pupil per policy year.
Pupil Mindfulness/Yoga: Pre-recorded age-appropriate sessions are available for both mindfulness and yoga. These are available online through our pastoral services.
We also offer Leadership Support Services:
Supervision Support: Full access to clinical supervision support for Schools SLT.
Senior Leaders Thriving Programme: Based on 35 years of Academic research, a member of the SLT or middle leader within the trust can, in under an hour, gain insights into habits of thinking that will add value by maximising your own potential and the potential of others. This is a four-part programme that includes a review of Leadership and Whole School Wellbeing through confidential assessments. We then provide a performance and wellbeing improvement plan, with support for as long as the school requires. Schools who have taken part in this programme have not only seen an improvement in wellbeing but a 5-20% improvement in performance.
School Mental Health Award: Delivered in partnership with Leeds Carnegie School of Education, the Mental Health Award allows schools to perform a self-assessment of their wellbeing provision and identify its own priorities and areas for development. Then, over 12 months, it lays out a development programme that creates a culture of mental health awareness, tolerance and acceptance, as well as demonstrating commitment to adhere to and exceed Ofsted guidance.
View our Wellbeing Brochure: Wellbeing Brochure
