Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jun 7;25(1):2138.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23176-3.

A scoping review of UK local government workplace health and wellbeing programmes

Austen El-Osta  1 , Sami Altalib  2 , Aos Alaa  2 , Mahmoud Al-Ammouri  2 , Manisha Karki  2 , Eva Riboli-Sasco  2 , Azeem Majeed  3 , Laura Kudrna  4
Affiliations

A scoping review of UK local government workplace health and wellbeing programmes

Austen El-Osta et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Workplace settings are linked to staff health and wellbeing, affecting sickness absence, presenteeism and productivity. With the growing prevalence of health issues among employees in the UK, including stress and long-term conditions, effective workplace health and wellbeing support by local government can play a crucial role in keeping people economically active and well.

Objective: Identify and characterise workplace health and wellbeing programmes offered by local authorities within the United Kingdom.

Methods: A scoping review involved a comprehensive search of Local Authority Districts (LADs) and county councils' websites followed by direct communications between 1 January 2024 and 30 April 2024. Initiatives were included if they were designed to enhance workplace health and wellbeing, actively ongoing and offered at no cost to workplaces. Data were extracted on the initiative name, provider, deprivation level, health focus, workplace eligibility and accreditation processes.

Results: The review identified 61 active local government workplace health programmes across the UK in March 2024, reflecting a 21% provision among local authorities. These initiatives were homogenous in focus, scope of coverage and implementation methods, with all focusing on general health. Geographical mapping highlighted regional disparities in the provision of workplace health and wellbeing initiatives that are free at the point of access (WHISPAs). England had a higher number (Central, Southern, and Southeastern regions specifically) while the rest of England, Wales, Scotland and North Ireland had a lower number or no WHISPAs.

Conclusion: There is a need for more coordinated efforts to increase the visibility and accessibility of local government workplace health initiatives that are free at the point of access. National workplace health accreditation could further encourage employers to adopt health and wellbeing programmes.

Keywords: Employee health; Public health; Sickness absence; UK; Wellbeing initiatives; Workplace health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flowchart showing the process of identifying councils and inclusion of workplace and wellbeing initiatives
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Geographical distribution of 61 WHISPAs across the UK presented as a map of (a) Local Authority Districts, (b) Counties, (c) Combined (or unitary) Local Authorities, and (d) London boroughs and the City of London
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Xiao Y, Becerik-Gerber B, Lucas G, Roll SC. Impacts of working from home during COVID-19 Pandemic on physical and mental well-being of office workstation users. J Occup Environ Med. 2021;63(3):181–90. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wells J, Scheibein F, Pais L, Rebelo Dos Santos N, Dalluege CA, Czakert JP. A systematic review of the impact of remote working referenced to the concept of work-life flow on physical and psychological health. Workplace Health Saf. 2023;71(11):507–21. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Work, health and growth: A guide for local councils: Local Government Association; 2023 Available from: https://www.local.gov.uk/publications/work-health-and-growth-guide-local....
    1. Sickness absence in the UK labour market: 2022: Office for National Statistics (ONS); 2023 Available from: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/labourprod....
    1. Work, Health and Green Paper Data Pack: Department for Works & Pensions and Department of Health; 2016 Available from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa...

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources