Fenland residents getting well for work with WorkWell

Individuals who contact WorkWell Fenland are assigned a coach who listens to the problems they're facing and helps them access the support they need.

One man described how the support he received helped him return to work from anxiety-related sick leave; and a young woman told how, after six-months on sick leave, she is now actively seeking new work to support herself through a nursing course.

Fenland District Council's Cllr Susan Wallwork said: "WorkWell is there for anyone who isn't working due to their physical or mental health or fears they'll have to leave their job because of it.

"Getting back to work can be a long process, especially in cases where the issues involved are complex or long held, but this service is proving to be a real catalyst for change.

"People who were really struggling before, now have a sense of hope, access to support and plans to move back towards work."

"I feel amazing"

A young woman who is now completing a nursing qualification and actively seeking work to support herself while she studies, described how her WorkWell coach helped her following a six-month period of being signed off work with mental health struggles and subsequently leaving her care job.

She said: "My WorkWell coach was so supportive and genuinely interested in me. It wasn't an uncomfortable professional conversation; she was so friendly. It wasn't like an interview, more like a chat. She'd speak to me like a human being.

"She'd check in on how I was doing and it was like she was proud of the things I achieved and that meant something.

"She gave me a lot of motivation to look back into work in the way she spoke to me.

"Now I feel amazing. I was having therapy at the same time as speaking to WorkWell and now I'm no longer seeing my therapist and, for the first time in five years, I'm not on any mental health medication."

"It has really worked for me"

A man in his 50s came to WorkWell Fenland on the back of a recommendation from his GP.

He'd been signed off work after months of increased pressure and difficulty during a time of redundancies and reduced workforce at the business where he'd worked in communications and marketing for several years.

Following his contact with WorkWell, and accessing support from medical professionals and partner agencies, he was able to return to work. 

"I've taken all the support I was offered and it has really worked for me. My mental health nurse, therapist and WorkWell coach, along with brilliant support of my wife, has all brought me back to a more balanced position.

"My WorkWell coach really recognised where I was and was really pleased about all the support I was getting and that I had put myself in the position to take up the help offered to me. She recognised that, at that time and in that frame of mind, it was very difficult to think logically and reach out and, throughout, she recognised the progress I was making, which I found really encouraging.

"My WorkWell coach was very good at listening to everything with empathy and no judgement and taking those steps with me, helping me to open-up and coaxing me through to bring me to a much better mindset. That, along with all the other support, really built my confidence.

"Men especially can find it very difficult to show their emotions and I want others to know I've gone through this and come out the other side. You can feel you're the only one, but that's not the case."

The man now faces redundancy himself but has been able to remain positive thanks to the work he has put in and support he has had.

He said: "Four months ago, I couldn't even think about looking for another job or working anywhere else. Now I feel confident in myself to be able to do that."

• Taking part in WorkWell Fenland does not impact benefits for those who are in receipt of them.

WorkWell Fenland, delivered by Fenland District Council, is part of a wider Government-funded scheme available to anyone living in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, supported by NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care Board (ICB).

Discover more about WorkWell Fenland and sign up for support at: WorkWell Fenland