Sizewell C: Aiming for world-class wellbeing support

But how do you look after a growing workforce of that size?

Ceri Bryant, Sizewell C's occupational health and wellbeing manager (Image: Sizewell C) “We want to raise the standards of health and wellbeing within large infrastructure projects,” says Ceri Bryant, occupational health and wellbeing manager at Sizewell C.

“We want everyone to know that, if you come to work for Sizewell C, the level of care, support and services you get will be exceptional.”

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An onsite health centre at Sizewell C’s ACA building just outside Leiston is one part of the significant health and wellbeing provision that will be on offer.

“Onsite care here will cover three areas,” says Ceri. “First, it’s about prevention, which means offering services like health surveillance, mental health support and vaccination programmes.

“Second, we’ll be offering first-class treatment services including emergency response, minor injury service, physiotherapy, a sessional GP, a 24/7 helpline and an in-house pharmacy.

“Finally, we need to make sure people are fit for work, which means things like safety-critical medicals and periodic assessments. We want all of this to be absolutely first class.”

Sizewell C’s ACA office houses its onsite health centre (Image: Sizewell C) The services will be available to all site workers – whether they live in Leiston or travel and stay in accommodation locally.

“By offering these services to everyone, we can minimise any impact we have on local public services,” Ceri says. “If our workers are utilising our onsite GP, physiotherapy or minor injury treatment, then we really do limit the impact we have on the local area.”

The current provision already provides a raft of services to the team, including a 24/7 phone and text helpline and a chaplain and wellbeing officer.

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Harry Shuttleworth recently assumed his role as wellbeing liaison officer, joining from East Suffolk Council, where he worked in the Feel Good Suffolk service.

“Construction workers are nearly four times more likely to die by suicide than the national average,” says Harry. “So we know it’s a challenging industry for health and wellbeing.

“I want us to offer world-class wellbeing support here at Sizewell C. It has to be – because if it isn’t, you’re letting people down, with potentially tragic consequences.

“We’re drawing on a lot of expertise. Hinkley Point C have used mental health first aiders to great effect, for example, and that’s something we’re building here too. We know we can use technology to engage with the team, and I’ll be working really closely with the onsite GP to make sure we look at the whole person.

“There are many ancillary aspects to wellbeing here, from making sure we deliver great accommodation and healthy food to socialising activities and volunteering opportunities to improve self-esteem. It has to be personalised too – and that’s part of what I’ll be doing here.”

For Harry, a big objective of wellbeing is to help people increase their capacity to be the best person they can be.

Reverend Clive Mobbs, Sizewell C chaplain (Image: Sizewell C) That holistic approach is also adopted by Reverend Clive Mobbs, who started as Sizewell C chaplain at the end of last year.

“I think it’s a bit like a Venn diagram: physical health, mental health and spiritual health – and they all overlap,” says Clive. “Somewhere in the middle is the whole person. I’m there for everybody – the chaplain for all the faiths and none.” 

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For Ceri, the success of health and wellbeing at Sizewell C is also about how it adapts to what the workforce needs.

“We have to be flexible and adaptable to whatever the changing health needs and requirements are as the workforce increases,” she says.

In the meantime, there’ll also be opportunities to join the team as services develop: paramedics, nurses, physios, occupational health, GP and wellbeing roles are just a few of those that will be on offer, as well as apprenticeships, work placements and upskilling of current staff.

“It’s an exciting time,” says Ceri. “We’re building something really important for the country here – but it’s deeply important that, as we do that, we create an environment in which our people are happy, healthy and proud to be here.”

For more information, visit sizewellc.com

This article is part of the EADT's Clean & Green campaign, which aims to promote our region as the biggest in the UK and Europe for all forms of renewable energy.