AG E NDA
IO D J E R SE Y
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Chris Edmond
This month we spoke to Chris Edmond, Medical Director of WorkHealth Jersey, on why everything he does revolves around making people happier and healthier and how you go about effecting big changes in a small place like Jersey. Despite having now put occupational health on the Government’s agenda and supporting over 150 clients with a team of four staff, I am aware of the vast work still required to create safer, healthier workplaces. To achieve this, we need to be more collaborative in our approach, leaning on those resources currently in place and focusing on prevention. Linking businesses with the healthcare system will help us all to have a responsibility in delivering healthy workplaces. I would love to see a collaborative policy making system in Jersey, and an economy that puts the wellbeing of islanders first. I think if people were healthier and happier, this would also lead us to greater financial profit. To attack this problem from as many angles as possible, I have taken up board roles with Jersey Sport, Jersey Recovery College and recently set up a new organisation called Lifestyle Medicine Jersey which provides support to individuals to improve their health behaviours, such as diet and exercise. It can be hard to change the habits of lifetimes without support, and people need direction on these goals just as much as those with clinical diagnoses such as obesity or diabetes.
A pivotal moment in my career came when I started volunteering for a mental health organisation in London called SANE. Having previously worked in I.T., web design and corporate banking this was the trigger for me to move into a more meaningful field that would allow me to make a difference to people. Shortly after this I took a role in a community mental health team, helping to reintegrate those who had suffered mental illness back into society. I wasn’t initially sure what direction to go in, but eventually I met my wife-to-be when I visited a doctor friend in Jersey, and it seemed destiny was set for me to return to the island in the future.
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everal moves around the United Kingdom later, I qualified as a doctor and moved to Jersey to raise a family, working mainly in the hospital A&E and cardiology departments. I also did some work with Social Security on disability benefit assessments, and every role I had up to this point exposed me to the damage a poor working environment can have on individuals. Eventually this ignited a passion to focus on occupational health and how we can prevent work-related illness before people become broken. The island had never had a dedicated occupational health provider before I set up WorkHealth, but the pandemic had highlighted a desperate need for expert advice in this field. My goal was to change the culture on an island that hadn’t encountered occupational health before, and I quickly realised I wasn’t just starting a business but building a brand-new industry and culture.
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Jersey is a special place for me and my family, and I want to see it meet its potential. It is traditional in many ways, and we shouldn’t try to lose its quaint charm, but we do need to move quicker to combat pressing problems such as the aging population and mental health crisis. Jersey is a special place for me and my family, and I want to see it meet its potential. It is traditional in many ways, and we shouldn’t try to lose its quaint charm, but we do need to move quicker to combat pressing problems such as the aging population and mental health crisis. Covid demonstrated that we can move at pace when we need to, so I am continually surprised that we don’t take more advantage of the opportunities presented to us for healthy living on this beautiful island. In my personal life, as a family we have just bought a cavapoo puppy as an incentive to get us out of the house more and to give us the chance to clear our heads and recognise the small wins, because trying to change the world can be tiring at times. My greatest inspiration has been Andy Mitchell, the Cardiologist at the General Hospital. I’ve never met someone who demonstrated effective leadership better. Through sheer willpower he has built up an incredible cardiology department from nothing, all whilst putting patient care at the forefront. It would also be remiss if I didn’t mention Kate Wright of the Diversity Network who has shown huge resilience and perseverance in championing positive change on the island. These individuals highlight how we need to show grit and tenacity to best effect change in our community. There will be doors closed in our faces, but eventually others will open. I try to find my own path to change which comes hand in hand with working with the right people. Above all else, I never lose faith or trust in people.
LIFE & ST YLE IN JERSEY