Burnley College protects staff mental health in pioneering partnership with Burnley firm PH7 Health

Burnley College is working hard to protect the mental health and wellbeing of its staff through a pioneering partnership with leading Burnley business PH7 Health.

The successful link-up has seen PH7 Health offer a comprehensive range of online resources to College Tutors and Support Staff alike to enable them to maintain their optimum mental health and wellbeing during these unprecedented times and beyond.

Burnley College Principal Karen Buchanan said:

“We truly value the work of each and every member of staff at Burnley College at this time – how they are going above and beyond to support our learners and their colleagues. Each member of the Burnley College staff family has a vital role to play: from ensuring learners receive the academic resources and individual support they need to reach their goals to providing wellbeing advice and guidance; from creating fun and engaging online extra-curricular activities to ensuring our amazing Campus is a safe space to which we can all return once Government restrictions are lifted.

“Our staff have been working tirelessly to ensure Covid-19 is not allowed to shape the future of our learners, while adapting to remote working themselves, home schooling their own children and dealing with the impact of the pandemic on their own family and friends. As a caring, forward-thinking employer, we recognise our staff must have access to wide-ranging, additional support to maintain their own mental health and wellbeing during this time. It will benefit themselves and their own families but also empower them to continue to support, advise and guide those learners who rely on them.”

The partnership with PH7 Health means that Burnley College staff have access to additional support services as well as the College’s established health and wellbeing provision, which includes round-the-clock access to The Big White Wall, an online peer support portal.

Paul Howarth, Director of PH7 Health, based in Bank Parade, Burnley, said:

“Like other main areas of organisations, mental health and wellbeing take careful planning and require an effective operational structure in place. Given the nature of mental health, this takes great vision and courage from the leadership to walk through these doors. Burnley College is doing this and not only impacting its own organisation as a whole but, I believe, this will expand further afield into the many organisations they successfully partner with.”

Burnley College, which has been recognised as the number one College in England for its learners’ attainment in the latest official Government achievement tables, has a strong reputation for supporting its staff. A finalist in the Employer of the Year category in the latest Red Rose Awards, the College invests in continuous professional development for all staff, as well as termly staff development days to unite all members of the Burnley College family, promote team working and an understanding of the key roles everyone plays in ensuring learners achieve their academic and career goals.

Are you looking for a career where you can make a difference? A role where you can use your passion for your chosen subject or your industry experience to inspire other? Burnley College is still recruiting the very best staff to join its successful team: view our latest teaching and support vacancies at www.burnley.ac.uk/vacancies.