With a number of employment tribunals citing menopause on the rise, according to figures from HM Courts and Tribunals Service, National Care Group have launched a dedicated menopause hub to support colleagues and normalise the conversation around the condition.
We offer support for vulnerable adults in the UK and we have outlined our commitment to care by affirming that it is "just the beginning" of our journey to offer help on the topic and a number of interrelated health conditions.
The recently launched MenoHub provides dedicated tools and guidance to our colleagues either going through or supporting a family member with menopause. By highlighting the range of symptoms, common misconceptions and coping mechanisms associated with the condition, the new hub provides a starting point from which to grow.
Claire Leake Peoples Director
Claire Leake, People Director at National Care Group, said "Wellbeing is at the heart of our culture and we want to normalise the conversations around menopause. This can be a particularly difficult time in a woman life, but we approached this with a collective mindset - menopause, of course, does not just affect those with the condition but also family, friends and colleagues too. There is also the factor of mental health support, acknowledging that menopause can commonly often be misdiagnosed as depression in women. So our ambition is to open up this often sealed topic to gain a greater understanding. That's why our new hub offers support for both women and men, equipping them in a better way to see the signs, symptoms and brief they can offer those in need. It's an initiative that has kickstarted with a flurry of activity and we're planning now for what more we can do in 2022."
Among the list of support included on the portal has been an external webinar hosted by renowned menopause expert Sarah Davies, whose business, Talking Menopause, has been utilised by a range of institutions - including Devon and Cornwall Police and HMRC.
The group has also appointed a dedicated menopause champion in Carla Day, a registered manager at National Care Group’s Caewern Lodge service in South Wales, offering phone and email support when colleagues need an understanding voice at the end of the line.
The menopause advocate is also well-positioned to offer expert advice, having scribed her own thoughts, stresses and coping techniques in her published menopause diary, ‘One Leg Out: A Tragicomic Memoir’.
Claire added: “It’s fantastic to have such a range of experts on board with the MenoHub already. When Carla first came forward to be our menopause champion, we didn’t actually know of her novel but, after speaking with her, it became immediately obvious that her compassion, care and experiences would make her the perfect advocate. “We’re hoping we can also have more experts like Sarah come on board to host sessions that everybody can get involved within a regular capacity. Such assistance helps to initiate conversation and help it become an everyday part of life, rather than a topic point that is shied away from.”
Menopause has hit national attention this year, with employers increasingly falling foul of discrimination over the condition, leading to a surge in cited cases in employment tribunals.
Menopause was cited in only five cases in the last nine months of 2018 but jumped to ten mentions in the first six months of 2021, according to figures from HM Courts and Tribunals Service.
With plans to extend its campaign into 2022 and beyond, National Care Group hopes its menopause support services will better equip its colleagues to understand the condition, as well as look after the vulnerable individuals it supports, who may be going through similar circumstances.