NHS staff working across the county will have the chance to join the first online Happy Café tomorrow 27 September at 1pm.

These new meetings are being launched for at all sectors of the NHS across the county, including the region’s hospitals, Foundation Trusts, primary care networks, GP practices, local councils and care providers.

The aim is to create a warm, friendly and welcoming place where staff can meet informally and talk about happiness, mental health and wellbeing in the home, the community and the workplace.

The meetings, which are part of Dorset’s enhanced staff wellbeing service: Here for Each Other which sets out to make local NHS staff feel valued and care for, and provides an opportunity to discuss ways of dealing with common issues in a fun, informative and inspirational way.

During the initial trial period, guest speakers will be highlighting some of Dorset HealthCare’s Here For Each Other staff wellbeing initiatives. These include wellbeing coaching, counselling, psychological therapy and mental and physical health. They will also be introducing the Action for Happiness: Ten keys to happier living, which is based on a simple mnemonic, GREAT DREAM which stands for:-

• Giving (Doing things for others)
• Relating (Connecting with people)
• Exercising(Taking care of our body)
• Awareness (Living life mindfully)
• Trying out (Keep learning new things)
• Direction (Having goals to look forward to)
• Resilience (Finding ways to bounce back)
• Emotions (Looking for what’s good in life)
• Acceptance (Being comfortable with who you are)
• Meaning (Being part of something bigger)

For details on Here For Each Other Happy Cafes visit: https://wellnet.dorset.nhs.uk/events

For further information, please contact Gerry Clarke, programme director, World Happiness Project, Tel: 07710 611123 Email: 3gclarke@gmail.com