Business News Firms urged to follow guidelines By Dan Harrison


Car sharing between colleagues and a lack of social distancing during lunch and cigarette breaks are behind some new Covid-19 cases, the Greater Birmingham business community has been warned.


Speaking at a Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce webinar, Birmingham City Council’s director of public health Dr Justin Varney urged businesses to remain “pragmatic” and follow Government guidelines around working from home to prevent a return to full lockdown. Dr Varney was speaking at the


launch of the Chamber’s Quarterly Business Report for the third quarter. When asked about prime


minister Boris Johnson’s latest order for employees to revert to working from home where possible, Dr Varney said that while many businesses have created Covid-safe environments, social distancing has “disappeared” during break times. He also acknowledged that employers must juggle Covid


community - trying to understand when you’ve got a cluster of cases linked to a business, is this because something has gone wrong in the business or is it about people’s lives at home or where they’ve been mingling? “Generally what we’re seeing,


Business must juggle measures: Dr Justin Varney


measures with the health and wellbeing implications of asking staff to work remotely. Dr Varney: “It is an interesting balancing act as businesses have been trying really hard to be Covid safe and create Covid-safe environments. One of the challenges we’ve got now is widespread transmission in the


particularly with some of the exemplary businesses is actually that transmissions happen with people car sharing to work, or it is the cigarette breaks or lunch breaks where social distancing has disappeared. “The advice at the moment, particularly for office workers is to move back to where we were when we were just coming out of lockdown. You will have staff that have really struggled and are really struggling with working remotely and it is about taking a pragmatic approach to create an environment that is safe for them to come back in or for those where it is business critical.


‘The advice at the moment, particularly for office workers is to move back to where we were when we were just coming out of lockdown’


Hospital supports mental health


Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity has launched a new fundraising campaign, Fight For All The Feels, aiming to raise awareness of the youth mental health challenge faced in Birmingham and help tackle the stigma which still surrounds it. The campaign is in aid of Forward Thinking Birmingham, the city’s innovative youth mental health partnership for 0 to 25-year-olds, which is a part of Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. The public can join the fight, by raising vital funds


that will go towards improving the lives of children and young people in Birmingham and prevent mental health issues being a barrier to achieving their dreams. Birmingham is one of the youngest cities in Europe,


with almost 40 per cent of its population aged 25-and- under. Forward Thinking Birmingham recorded 16,830


referrals in 2018/19, with numbers set to rise, along with suicide rates with over half of all mental health problems having been established by the age of 14, rising to 75 per cent by 24. Alex Borg, director of mental health services at the


trust said: “2020 has been a tough year for most. It’s been well reported that Covid-19 will have a huge impact on children and young people’s lives with increased rates of anxiety, depression and more serious conditions rising as a result of the pandemic, subsequent lockdown and the impact on jobs. “The youth mental health challenge in Birmingham


was here long before Covid-19, and it will be around for long after. By standing up, and looking to tackle the issue head on, we hope to improve the economic, social and health prospects for all young people. Now is the time to act.” One of the young people who have benefited from


the support of Forward Thinking Birmingham is 23- year-old Beth Booker. Beth’s mental health issues first


Support: Young people who are joining the campaign.


started in secondary school, where the stress of wanting to do well led to disruptive behaviour, self- harm, and an overdose. She said: “I still experience those same feelings, but


to have a structure in place, where if I feel I need help, someone from the Forward Thinking Birmingham team will come round for a coffee to talk about things, has been so helpful. “My fiancé and I have just had our first child and I’m excited about my future for the first time in my life.”


To support ‘Fight For All The Feels’ visit: fightforallthefeels.org


“But if it is not business critical


or it is not a health and wellbeing issue and they can do their job from home, the clear advice from the prime minister now is do your job from home if you can, because the risk of this continuing to escalate just means we get slammed back into full lockdown and I think the economic impact of that would be severe for all of us.” The Quarterly Business Report


webinar, sponsored by Birmingham City University, also featured a presentation from Simon Strothers, director at 3P Innovation, on innovating through uncertainty. The Warwick-based engineering


firm has recorded record turnover this year despite the pandemic. Mr Strothers discussed how the


company turned Covid-19 concerns into a pro-active strategy, which included leading an innovation project on the fast scale-up and distribution of PPE visors.


Read the Chamber’s latest Quarterly Business Report at www.greaterbirminghamchambers .com


Tools assist mindful eating


Researchers have developed a package of new tools to examine how mindfulness can help tackle rising obesity across the UK. A team of psychologists at Birmingham City University are leading new research looking at how mindfulness interventions can contribute to a healthy eating regime. Dr Michael Mantzios and Dr


Helen Egan, readers in psychology at Birmingham City University, have created the package of new tools, which are designed to facilitate healthier eating, including the Mindful Construal Diary and the Mindful Chocolate Practice. Members of the public are


being invited to access to tools, and to complete a survey to help contribute to the research. Dr Mantzios said: “The


research aims to assist a natural return to the habitual tendency to eat when our bodies are in need for food and to create a mindful and pleasurable experience of every meal and snack that we consume.”


November 2020 CHAMBERLINK 23


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