Over the course of a lifetime, the average adult spends nearly 90,000 hours at work. That’s around 1,795 hours each year based on a 35 hour working week. With so much time spent in the workplace, we recognise it is a valuable setting to support health and wellbeing, and to positively influence people’s lives.
Local Health Boards play an important role in supporting employers to create healthier, and supportive workplaces for staff. This includes:
- promoting access to good quality, fair work by encouraging safe, inclusive environments where staff can thrive
- supporting retention in work through health-focussed interventions that help individuals stay in employment
- enabling progression through work by fostering opportunities for learning, development, and skills growth
- reducing absence by helping employers implement supportive measures that address common challenges such as mental health concerns and musculoskeletal conditions
Public Health Scotland’s virtual learning environment (VLE) offers a range of learning resources on public health and health inequalities

Free support
Our Workplace Health Team offers free support to help organisations promote employee health and wellbeing, including:
- expert guidance on workplace health and wellbeing strategies
- access to training opportunities focused on health improvement
- support with health campaigns and wellbeing initiatives tailored to your workforce
- advice on developing and maintaining effective policies that promote staff wellbeing
- regular updates and information through our Workplace Health newsletter
By working together, we can create healthier, happier workplaces throughout Ayrshire and Arran.
Upcoming events
- Breast Cancer Awareness Session – Thursday 30 October, 3pm to 4pm – Tickets via Eventbrite
- Supporting Financial Wellbeing with MoneyHelper – Tuesday 4 November, 10am to 11am – Tickets via Eventbrite
Training sessions
- Mentally Healthy Workplace Training for Managers – Thursday 29th January- Ayrshire Central Hospital – book your place (booking link- mhandsplearning.publichealthscotland.scot/mhwtcourse_registration.aspx?id=9b1f1fd7-30b3-46c2-be99-a858c0a67896)
- Mentally Healthy Workplace Training for Managers – Monday 16th February- Crosshouse Hospital (booking link- https://mhandsplearning.publichealthscotland.scot/mhwtcourse_registration.aspx?id=72537861-c8c8-4477-aec2-b6ab344729f1)
- Mentally Healthy Workplace Training for Managers – Monday 9th March- Ayr Hospital (booking link- https://mhandsplearning.publichealthscotland.scot/mhwtcourse_registration.aspx?id=3d996e88-59f4-44e2-ac2f-eb12642c3985)
- Mentally Healthy Workplace Training for Managers – Monday 23rd March- Ayr Hospital (booking link- https://mhandsplearning.publichealthscotland.scot/mhwtcourse_registration.aspx?id=dcf73fb6-acf7-48b0-982f-0058f789fa8b)
- Wednesday 13th May- Crosshouse Hospital (booking link- https://mhandsplearning.publichealthscotland.scot/mhwtcourse_registration.aspx?id=6497e0fd-3f9f-4f16-b30a-28f58761ec36)
- Mentally Healthy Workplace Training for Managers – Monday 20 October, 9.30am to 4pm – Book your place
- Mentally Healthy Workplace Training for Managers – Monday 17 November, 9.30am to 4pm – Book your place
- Mentally Healthy Workplace Training for Managers – Wednesday 17 December, 9.30am to 4pm
Training opportunities
View details of the training on offer from the Workplace Health Team.
View training opportunitiesMeet the team
- Laura Craig, Health Improvement Practitioner
- Nicola Halligan, Health Improvement Officer
Partner agencies
The national organisation supporting employers and employees health and wellbeing. They work in partnership with local health boards workplace health teams. The national website hosts lots of useful information and resources.
The Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce provides support to businesses across Ayrshire through a range of membership benefits and services.
The Workplace Health Team is a member of the Chamber and regularly attend networking, events and provide training opportunities.
Fair Work benefits employees, employers, and the wider economy. It drives better business performance and productivity while creating high-quality jobs and supporting happier, healthier people. Fair Work means providing every individual with an effective voice, opportunity, security, fulfilment, and respect.
Locally, the Fair Work and Skills Ayrshire Team can help businesses complete a Fair Work assessment and develop a tailored action plan. They also manage the Ayrshire Skills Investment Fund, giving businesses across Ayrshire the chance to address workforce skills gaps and strengthen their teams.
If you or your employees have a health condition impacting work, they could benefit from Working Health Services Scotland (WHSS). Employees can self-refer or with consent can be referred by their employer.
WHSS provides free and confidential advice and health support for the self-employed and people working in companies with fewer than 250 employees.
Salus provides support to residents and employees across Ayrshire to manage and maintain their health and wellbeing. They aim to help people stay in or return to work.
Contact us
Email: aa-uhb.hwl@aapct.scot.nhs.uk
To join our mailing list and receive our newsletter, updates on upcoming training, and other workplace health information, please contact us using one of the methods listed above.