Men’s Wellbeing network

New network for men’s health launches at LTHT

A new staff network has been set up at LTHT that looks to bring together people under the subject of men’s health and wellbeing in all its aspects.

The group, called Men’s Action & Awareness Network (MAAN), is open to all who have a stake in men’s mental and physical health. The new network launched in November with Simon Worthington, Director of Finance attending the first meeting and lending his support. The network holds monthly meetings with a variety of agenda items exploring the complexity of being a man in the modern age. To celebrate the launch of the network, December saw a full day of talks and presentations on the subject of men’s physical and mental health. Guest speakers included Mr Bill Cross, Urology Surgeon, who talked about on prostate cancer, and Jane Brocksom, Urology Nurse Specialist, presenting on men’s urological health. The day also saw the premiere of a film developed in partnership with Stevie Ward, former Leeds Rhinos captain, who has set up Mantality – a men’s mental health support service. The video saw the pair have a frank and honest discussion of men’s health issues with Dave Goulding, Project Manager - Emergency Preparedness. Julian Hartley, Chief Executive said: “It was a real privilege to introduce the day. The different segments were inspiring, educational and practical, and it was great to hear each part was well attended. It’s a great start to the new men’s health network at LTHT and I wish them all the very best over what promises to be an exciting first year!” At February’s meeting, a representative from Leeds United Football club presented details of all the health & wellbeing programmes they have available for members of the public. A Q&A session with current first team player Robert Koch was also held. Look out for further special dates and initiatives, including future collaborations with Leeds United in the future. Anyone at LTHT can attend the monthly MAAN meetings – for further information, contact Dave Goulding david.goulding1@nhs.net or James Royal james.royal@nhs.net

First LTHT podcast series launches

The first Leeds Teaching Hospitals podcast series launched this January, Heroes Unmasked - Staff Stories from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. With nine episodes featuring staff roles from security advisors to consultants, the series goes behind the mask and the uniform to find out about what makes the staff from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust tick.

During the pandemic, when we were searching for things to watch and listen to, many people stumbled across podcasts and it’s no surprise that the number of podcast listeners has doubled in the last three years. As of 2020, there were more than 15 million podcast listeners in the UK and popularity is rising. It was felt that a podcast would be a new communication platform for Leeds Teaching Hospitals that would enable us to raise the profile of the organisation with quality storytelling about those who work within it. An opportunity to go behind the scenes of one of the country’s biggest and busiest acute hospital trusts. The series shines a spotlight on the fact that a doctor isn’t just someone who makes people better. A porter isn’t just someone who moves people around a hospital. As staff across the NHS have been hailed heroes for their work during Covid, we go deeper to find out who they actually are. Heroes Unmasked includes tales of past rugby careers, living on submarines, balancing children’s Some episodes will make you cry, some will make you think, all will give you an insight into the person behind the mask. You can find the series on all your normal podcast channels and through here www.podfollow.com/heroesunmasked