Loughborough College

Case study

Discover how we helped Loughborough College modernise its culture and working practices, focusing on supporting employees’ mental and physical wellbeing.

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Working with Loughborough College

In 2022, we were approached by Loughborough College to provide Occupational Health services to help improve the health and wellbeing of staff. It is widely accepted that working within the education sector can be challenging from a mental wellbeing perspective due to supporting staff with their emotional and mental health. After a needs analysis, we redesigned the delivery from a part-time, in-house service to a more flexible and responsive remote delivery model with the option for face-to-face assessments as required. The service evolved from an OHA-led provision to a comprehensive model incorporating OHA, OH Physiotherapy, and Mental Wellbeing support.

Challenge

We conducted initial scoping meetings with Loughborough College and delivered a proposal outlining plans to provide access to regular OHA, Physiotherapy, and Mental Wellbeing support remotely. This delivery model allowed employees of Loughborough College to quickly access expert services from any location, ensuring work-focused reporting back to their employer.

Our challenge was to modernise and develop the culture and working practices within Loughborough College, prioritising support for employees’ mental and physical wellbeing. This required educating referrers on the broader range of services now available and addressing hesitations around transitioning from an in-house to a hybrid delivery model. Ensuring adherence to GDPR guidelines and safeguarding sensitive data during the referral process were also key concerns.

Our approach

Through scoping meetings, we identified a need for physical and mental wellbeing support, with 75% of referrals linked to mental health. This became our priority focus.

Upskilling HR Staff:
We trained Loughborough College’s HR team on referral paperwork and promoted the service internally. An FAQ document was created to help employees understand the process, making them more comfortable with referrals:
“The FAQ document made it so much easier for employees to understand the process and feel comfortable with the referral.”
Secure Referral Portal:
A GDPR-compliant Portal was developed to securely manage clinical data. HR staff can use it to submit referrals, track progress, and access reports via a dashboard. Automated alerts streamline updates, saving HR time and enabling them to focus on their core work.
Medical Support:
We introduced remote Occupational Health Advisor (OHA) assessments for conditions like diabetes, pregnancy symptoms, or post-surgery recovery. These provide managers with tailored recommendations for work fitness, recovery, and adjustments—details often unavailable from GPs.
Physical Health Support:
Remote Physiotherapy assessments and face-to-face treatments were offered to address physical symptoms and work fitness gaps. For example, temporary lifting restrictions due to shoulder pain were managed with tailored work adaptations and rehab guidance.
Mental Wellbeing Support:
Remote counselling sessions addressed mental health challenges, achieving strong outcomes—89% of participants reported reduced anxiety and depression (PHQ-9, GAD-7). Positive feedback included:
“Accessing the counselling service was a turning point for me. I felt supported and was able to manage my work and personal life better.”
Hybrid Model Transition:
To support cultural change, we created a visual FAQ leaflet addressing common concerns, increasing engagement and trust among staff.
Ongoing Support:
An account management team was assigned to ensure smooth service delivery, promptly addressing queries from HR, line managers, and service users.

Result

Over the past two years, we have successfully supported employees in staying at work or returning to work after illness and injury. This service has not only increased job satisfaction but has also helped employees feel more supported in their roles due to the new OH services.

The referral Portal significantly improved efficiency and GDPR compliance, reducing administrative burdens for the HR team. One HR professional noted:
“The referral Portal has streamlined our processes and made it much easier to track employee cases. It’s a game-changer for our team.”

Our mental wellbeing support services led to an impressive 89% reduction in reported anxiety and depression scores among referred employees, showcasing the effectiveness of the work-focused counselling service.

Conclusion

The relationship between Loughborough College and Response Occupational Health continues to flourish. We are now introducing additional services such as onsite Health Surveillance clinics for manual workers, Display Screen Equipment (DSE) assessments, and driver medicals.

The positive feedback and measurable outcomes demonstrate that Loughborough College values the importance of supporting employees’ physical and mental health. One senior manager summarised:

“Partnering with Response Occupational Health has been transformative. Our staff feel more supported, and we’ve seen tangible improvements in both wellbeing and productivity.”

By continuously adapting and evolving our services, we look forward to a long-term partnership with Loughborough College, ensuring that staff health and wellbeing remain a priority.

Response have provided a swift and supportive service since to Loughborough College since we signed up with them in March 2023. Their portal to manage employees is easy to use and provides all of the information required. The Occupational Health services are friendly and thorough and have been described by employees as supportive. The counselling service have a quick response and have been effective. The contacts we have at Response are polite, quick to respond and effective. A great service all round.
Emma Kilby-Brooks, Director of HR , Loughborough Colege