This year’s Operation Transformation is being supported by Healthy Ireland. Staff Health and Wellbeing is one of the three strategic priorities for the implementation of Healthy Ireland in the Health Service.
Healthy Ireland sponsored Operation Transformation this year. The Operation Transformation programme encourages the Irish public to get active and get healthy. Over the course of the show it provides the public with tools that are needed to get moving, lose weight and feel good with the aim of having a significant impact on the behaviours we need to change to live a healthier life.
We in HSE Health and Wellbeing were delighted to see Hazel Hartigan, a nurse in St John’s Hospital Limerick, and Sharon Gaffney, a Director of Finance and Organisation Services in the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin, inspiring their followers as leaders on RTE’s Operation Transformation this year.
Lockdown has changed all of our lives, making it more difficult for many of us to stick to our healthy eating and exercise routines but Sarah and Hazel, our health service colleagues, have been giving us some much-needed motivation.
They have proven that healthy eating and physical activity can be a challenge, but starting with a few small changes can make a big difference.
It is important to remember that eating the right balance of foods and keeping physically active are essential to good health and weight management.
A healthy weight helps to prevent the development of many chronic diseases and makes it easier to go about our daily lives. This is particularly important at the moment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people are struggling with poor eating habits and the dreaded COVID kilos. What we eat and drink can affect our body’s ability to keep healthy and to prevent, fight and recover from infections.
While no foods or dietary supplements can prevent or cure the COVID-19 infection, healthy diets are important for supporting our immune system. Good nutrition can also reduce the likelihood of developing other health problems including obesity, heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer.
The COVID-19 pandemic has stopped many of our usual activities in their tracks but it has helped many of us to start a healthy walking habit. The RTE Operation Transformation programme identified how important outdoor spaces have become for staff during COVID. As part of the programme, they featured Hazel and Sharon outdoors in the garden each having a virtual chat about their facilities and the support that has been received from the HSE in providing these facilities through the Health and Wellbeing funding initiative. Both Suzanne Dunne, HI Executive Lead UL Hospital Group and Elma Herbert, HI Lead St John’s were delighted with how the staff came together, all in their HI jackets, to do the Jerasualema dance in their garden. Orla Haughey, HI Lead in Eye and Ear Hospital with colleague Ann Gillick played their part too in getting staff supporting Sharon. The HSE HI jackets, water bottles and other promotional resources got a great showing from all the leaders on the OT programme, contributing to the ongoing promotion of the HI trusted brand. To view these videos click here.
Operation Transformation, in collaboration with DCU School of Health and Human Performance, have developed the Minimum Fitness Tests to demonstrate the minimum fitness standard for your age group. These tests are designed to show you where you sit within the minimum standards of physical fitness and give you a target to aim for within your age bracket and gender.
Hazel and Sharon have also completed the famed OT 5k Walk last week. HSE Health and Wellbeing encouraged HSE Staff to walk or run the Operation Transformation virtual 5k and support their HSE colleagues and Leaders on the programme. Over 26,000 people registered for the virtual 5k this year.
Like all of us Hazel and Sharon have struggled with home schooling, working from home and night duty over the past few months .They have done it all in the eye of the public. Their families have played a big part in keeping them on track as well as having support from their colleagues in the HSE.