Heart Month

Learn how employers can use Heart Month to raise awareness of key heart health risk factors and encourage healthier lifestyle choices in the workplace.

The value of supporting Heart Month at work

Protecting heart health in the workplace starts with understanding the risks. Awareness of the ABCD risk factors — Atrial fibrillation, Blood pressure, Cholesterol and Diabetes — can help you as employers create supportive environments that encourage early awareness and reduce preventable illness across your organisation.

Cardiovascular disease (heart and circulatory) is a leading cause of death in Wales. Supporting Heart Month helps raise awareness of preventable heart disease and encourages employees to understand and manage their risk factors. It also demonstrates a commitment to staff wellbeing, which can improve engagement, productivity and long-term health outcomes.

Get your workplace involved in Heart Month

Here are some ways your workplace can take part in Heart Month:

Raise awareness

Use your internal communications channels to share information with employees to help them become more knowledgeable about heart health.

Heart UK have resources including this information webpage about cholesterol.

Get moving

Ways to support employees to be more active include:

• encouraging walking or cycling to work
• using schemes like Cycle to Work
• introducing walking meetings

Find out more about active workplaces and active, healthy and sustainable travel.

Organise an event

Take on a Heart Month challenge to improve your heart health and fundraise at the same time.

Find out more about challenge events on the Heart UK website.

Promoting awareness throughout the year

Taking small, consistent steps can help create a workplace where your employees feel informed, supported and empowered to look after their health.

Here are some ideas to continue your efforts throughout the year:

Raise awareness about heart health

Make health topics a core part of your wellbeing policy. You can also share information about national campaigns that support heart health.

You can find more campaigns to support in our campaigns and events section.

Encourage open conversations

Open discussions about heart health can increase awareness and improve outcomes. Encourage employees and provide guidance on how to handle these conversations sensitively in the workplace.

Find information about heart health on the British Heart Foundation website.

Provide access to support

Ensure your employees know where to access trusted advice and support.

Services supporting heart health include:

• Healthy Weight Healthy You offers tailored guidance to support individuals to manage their weight effectively. You can also find useful resources from your local Health Board.
• Help Me Quit is the national NHS stop smoking service for Wales.
• The National Exercise Referral Scheme (NERS) offers exercise programmes to help people manage long-term health conditions and supports referred clients to make lifestyle changes that improve their health and wellbeing.
• Dan 24/7 offers a free bilingual helpline to support people with drug and alcohol dependence.

Find out more

To find out how your workplace can get involved in Heart Month and get useful resources, visit the Heart UK website. You can also find other ideas on the British Heart Foundation website.

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