Health and Wellbeing Plan
2026–2029
Foreword
It gives me great pleasure to present Donegal County Council’s second Health and Wellbeing Plan 2026–2029.
This new plan marks a renewed commitment to supporting employee health and wellbeing, setting out our strategic direction in this vital area for the coming years.
This plan presents the Council’s vision, aims, and objectives for enhancing health and wellbeing among all staf members. The key themes— Promotion, Prevention, and Rehabilitation—remain at the forefront of our eforts. In recognition of the growing interconnections between
physical, nutritional, mental, social, fnancial, and environmental health, we are committed to broadening the range of services and support available to staf, ensuring that health and wellbeing are consistently prioritised across the organisation.
Acknowledgement is due to all who contributed to the development of this Health and Wellbeing Plan, especially staf members whose insights and feedback have been invaluable.
This plan has been designed and will be implemented through partnership and collaboration, informed by staf engagement. The Council looks forward to continuing these collaborative eforts to achieve tangible improvements in health and wellbeing in the coming years.
John G. Mc Laughlin Chief Executive
Donegal County Council
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Vision & Aim
The Donegal County Council Health and Wellbeing Plan (2026–2029) sets the direction and provides a framework for coordinated action to ensure our diverse workforce is aforded the opportunity for optimal health and wellbeing so they can participate fully in their work, family and community life.
Taking an evidence-informed approach to create a supportive environment that enables our staf to be proactive, to protect and enhance their own health and wellbeing The Plan is
02 Setting the Scene 03
Background
This document sets out the next phase of the Council’s Health and Wellbeing Plan for the period 2026–2029. It presents the overall vision, goal and objectives of the Council in Health and Wellbeing for the next 4 years. It builds on the work of the Councils frst Health and Wellbeing Plan 2021–2024. The document provides an overview of why a Health and Wellbeing Plan is important, the methodology used for developing the plan as well as the learnings from delivering the Health and Wellbeing Plan 2021–2024. All which will guide the direction of the new 2026–2029 plan.
Why a Health and Wellbeing Plan?
The introduction of Donegal County Council’s Health and Wellbeing Plan (2021–2024) introduced an increased focus on employee health and wellbeing.
The plan refected the connections between physical, nutritional, mental, social, fnancial and environmental health. It incorporated a broader wellbeing programme into our corporate planning, developed a tailored strategy based on staf input, best evidence, and practice on promoting a healthy workplace. In these exceptionally challenging times, maintaining a happy and healthy workforce is certainly no easy task; however, having a structured Health and Wellbeing Plan can have positive impacts on staf morale and resilience both now and into the future. Tailoring wellbeing programmes and benefts to staf needs not only values our workforce, but will contribute to greater employee engagement, reduced stress, enhanced resilience, decreased absenteeism and better overall health and wellbeing outcomes.
The Plan is a holistic approach to employee wellness focusing on prevention, providing a healthy workplace, fostering a resilient workforce and promoting social connectedness and community involvement. The Plan will also help nurture and encourage leadership by supporting supervisors and managers through training and education in creating a positive work environment and promoting active wellbeing in the workplace. This is a living document that will continue to evolve over the next four years and adapt to the changing needs of our staf and organisation.
The purpose of the Plan is to provide a coordinated promotion and delivery of programmes through both well-established organisational supports and newly negotiated pathways for individual and family supports in our local community designed to encourage the health, wellbeing and safety of all our staf.
What is a Wellbeing?
‘Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infrmity’
— World Health Organisation
Wellbeing is our ability to feel good and function efectively. Staf spend in the region of one third of their time at work, which can positively or negatively afect their wellbeing. People with higher levels of wellbeing are better able to cope in the face of hardship, have stronger immune systems and are physically stronger and happier. On the other hand, people who sufer from physical or mental health conditions are likely to have higher rates of injury and/ or illness, long term chronic diseases, absenteeism and presenteeism.
We understand that investing in wellbeing at work is:
The right thing to do – we have a corporate social responsibility to look out for our staf and community
The smart thing to do – a positive workplace culture increases staf’s satisfaction, morale and energy resulting in improved efectiveness, productivity and performance
The legal thing to do – it is our statutory obligation to provide a healthy and safe workplace.
well-planned and comprehensive workplace Health and Wellbeing Plan has many benefts.
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Policy Context
This Plan will assist the Council in meeting its legal and statutory obligations while also delivering on its workplace wellbeing commitments that are set out in the Donegal County Council’s Corporate Plan 2024–2029 under the strategic objectives and supporting strategies of:
Donegal County Council’s Health and Wellbeing Plan (2026–2029) is proactive and committed to reorganising and expanding the range of services and health and wellbeing supports provided to staf.
Empowering our communities
‘Promoting positive mental health and wellbeing by working in partnership with key agencies and support organisations’
Developing Organisational Capacity
‘Support the development of a highly motivated, skilled and talented workforce dedicated to delivering the organisation’s objectives by facilitating and encouraging a culture of continuous learning, training and development’
‘Build on the strong organisational health and safety culture ensuring health, safety and wellbeing of our staf and supporting a safe working environment for all employees through our Dignity at Work policy’
‘To support the Council’s Social Club in recognition of its important role in fostering a positive workplace community and connecting staf, past and present, in a spirit of belonging and togetherness’
The actions proposed in the Plan, will support the ongoing work of the Council across a range of areas, in particular the work of the Council’s Social Inclusion Unit, work being undertaken as part of the Healthy Ireland initiative, the councils Healthy Libraries, the Council’s Age Friendly Strategy, the Older People’s Council and the council’s climate action team. The actions of each are distinct but complementary and support the overall vision of enhancing workplace wellbeing.
This Plan has been prepared in the context of existing and emerging policy at national and EU level including:
The Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005
Healthy Ireland: A National Framework for Healthy workplaces in Ireland 2021–2025
Department of Health: The Healthy Ireland Framework
EU Commission Strategic Plan for Safety & Health at Work 2014–2020 2013–2025
HSA Workplace Health & Wellbeing Strategy.
Department of Health. Connecting for Life. Irelands
National Strategy to Reduce Suicide 2015–2024
The World Health Organisation defnes a healthy workplace as follow;
‘A Healthy Workplace is one in which workers and managers collaborate to use a continual improvement process to protect and promote the health, safety and wellbeing of all workers and sustainability of the workplace’
What did we do before 05
The staf welfare/occupational health service provides and manages numerous initiatives and key supports for staf, their families, line managers and supervisors. These include:
Managing the Council’s Employee Assistance Service (EAS)
Managing the occupational medicals for new recruits to the retained fre service and existing employees
Running wellbeing initiatives and more recently providing advice and assistance in relation to the Covid 19 pandemic
Administering voluntary vaccination programmes, the Council’s optical scheme and cycle to work scheme
Managing all aspects of the public service sick pay scheme (uncertifed/certifed sick leave)
Providing support to seek to resolve workplace issues including organising independent mediation
Holding general assemblies for “outdoor” workers and delivering information seminars with information on staf entitlements
Planning and organising the Council’s Ecumenical service.
The Council’s Employee Assistance Service has provided to employees and/or their immediate family members support in areas such as: depression; emotional and psychological stress; bereavement; marital, family, relationship issues; alcohol and other drugs, gambling abuse; child loss; child/family illness; terminal illness; post-natal depression; eating disorders; and stress-related workplace concerns. Information on all these services can be accessed via the wellness portal on the Council’s Intranet page or downloading the wellness app.
Long before our frst health and wellbeing plan, Donegal County Council was a pioneer in staf welfare, being a unique County Council in having a dedicated Staf Welfare Ofcer for many years.
1: Supports provided
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Approach & Methodology
The concept of developing a Health and Wellbeing Plan was initiated in 2020/2021 by the Council’s staf Welfare Ofce and Human Resources Division.
The views of the staf were sought through a staf survey carried out in April 2021 to consider how best to reorganise and expand the range of services and health and wellbeing supports currently provided by Donegal County Council to staf. This included:
a. Reviewing existing health and wellbeing initiatives and key supports within the Council
b. Identifying any gaps in health and wellbeing needs and interests of Council staf
c. Reviewing current organisational metrics surrounding health and wellbeing to support evaluation
d. Embedding a participatory approach to the development of the Plan to help ensure the Plan refects what is relevant to all staf
e. Identifying the referral pathways for supports that can be provided locally to beneft staf and their families
f. Identifying opportunities for collaboration to provide greater access to relevant health, social care and local support services (not exhaustive)
g. Researching mandatory legislative and organisational policy requirements and training, and
h. Identifying processes to measure and assess the impacts and benefts of key health and wellbeing actions which the Council may wish to take.
This research pointed to the substantial benefts for all staf by establishing a Health and Wellbeing Plan for the organisation. In turn this created the foundation in producing and adopting the Donegal County Council Healthy and Wellbeing Plan 2021–2024
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Health & Wellbeing Plan 2021–2024
The Donegal Health and Wellbeing Plan 2021–2024 was ofcially launched by the chief executive in November 2021. The introduction of the plan was to increase the focus on stafs’ health and wellbeing through three main themes, promotion, prevention and rehabilitation. Through the delivery of the plan the aim was to expand the range of services and supports for staf to enhance their health and wellbeing.
Online Webinars/Workshops 48 delivered 1267 participants (does not included viewed recordings)
In Person Events and Workshops 88 delivered 2775 attendees
Topics delivered
Employee Assistance Service
Donegal County Council provide a free Employee Assistance Service that is available 24/7 that provides immediate access to counselling support. Our EAS provides you with immediate access to counselling support to help you cope more efectively with any personal or work-related problems. Number of staf who contacted the EAS – 151
Primary issues
Health Checks Data
A staf health screening programme was carried out in two phases in 2023 and 2024.
517 staf availed of a free comprehensive health check and the overall report outlined the general physical and mental health of the staf. The main key fndings highlighted:
Organisational Profle Comparison
To inform the development of the Health and Wellbeing Plan, the baseline data of staf from May 2021 was examined and compared to current staf numbers on the 31st of December 2025.
08 Staf Surveys
A repeat staf survey was conducted in January 2025, asking the same series of questions to examine the changes in responses and to measure, if any, the impact of Health & Wellbeing Plan 2021 -2024. There were 561 returns from the survey, a response rate of 47.4%.
The survey comparison results showed that:
61% of staf felt that the organisation has an environment that encouraged staf to talk openly about mental and physical health issues (39% in 2021)
59% of staf felt that they would be confdent in talking to their line manager about issues that afect their mental health (48% in 2021)
54% of staf were waking up rested and refreshed more than half of the time. (46% in 2021)
76% of staf are generally satisfed between the balance of time spent at work and the time spent on other aspects of life. (70% in 2021)
However, only
21% of staf are taking the recommended minimum of 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week (32% in 2021)
The barriers most identifed in preventing staf participating or attending included workload, time, constraints, work pressures, location and manager approval.
In April 2021, a survey of staf, asking a series of questions about mental health, physical health and organisational health was conducted. The aim of the survey was to measure the then levels of staf’s health and wellbeing as well as to use the results and comments to help shape the programmes and initiatives that will be included and ofered to staf. There were 586 returns from the survey, a 49% response rate.
82% of staf felt their general health was good or very good (83% in 2021)
65% of staf showed a positive response in dealing with anxiousness (70% in 2021)
60% of staf showed a positive resilience in managing stress (65% in 2021)
The staf survey also included a few questions relating to the Health & Wellbeing Plan 2021-2024. The survey results reported that:
48.5% of respondents either agree or strongly agree that the organised health and wellbeing events/ programmes/webinars have had a positive impact on their health and wellbeing.
44.55 % neither agreed nor disagreed. respondents attended or took part in organised health and wellbeing events
• 52% some of the time
• 15% most of the time
• 3% all the time
• 30% at no time
09 Health & Wellbeing Plan 2026–2029
The Plan is built around three main themes of Promotion, Prevention and Rehabilitation under fve Strategic Pillars:
Mental Wellbeing Physical Wellbeing
Emotional Wellbeing Community Wellbeing
Environment Wellbeing
Core Values and Guiding Principles
The Plan is guided by a series of core values and principles that underpin the Health and Wellbeing Plan and will guide the Council in achieving the goals and objectives set out in this Plan.
Valuing Staf
We are committed to creating a work environment that will allow staf to realise their potential in a culture of continuous learning and supporting their health and wellbeing.
Participation, Social Inclusion and Accessibility
We are committed to promoting the participation of staf guiding and shaping the Plan, facilitating inclusion and ease of access for all.
Human Rights and Accountability
We will actively promote equality, diversity, eliminate discrimination and protect human rights of our staf. Open, Flexible and Responsive
We are committed to being open, agile, fexible and responsive to the changing needs of our staf and availing of any opportunities that will enable the achievement of the ambitions of this Plan.
Innovative, Creative and Continuous Improvement
We are committed in fostering an innovative and creative approach to achieve the ambitions of this Plan, working collaboratively to improve positive outcomes for our staf.
Objectives
Integrity & Accountability
Valuing Staf
Innovative, Creative & Continuous Improvement
Core Values & Guiding principles
Social Inclusion & Accessibility
We work to the highest level of ethical conduct and probity and are committed in delivering the Plan in an open, transparent and in an equitable way.
Human Rights & Accountability
Open, Flexible & responsive
To build on a culture that promotes best practice in supporting mental health and wellbeing in the workplace
To enhance new pathways for mental health supports and services in our surrounding community
To nurture and encourage leadership by supporting supervisors and managers in creating a positive work environment and promoting active wellbeing
To encourage and promote opportunities for social connectedness and community involvement to build relationships and strong ties in the places in which we work and the communities in which we live
To provide information, training, education and awareness opportunities for staf to enhance wellbeing
To provide opportunities and pathways for staf to be proactive in managing their physical health and maintaining a healthy lifestyle through coordinated programmes
To promote an environment that supports best practice in work/life balance
To support and maintain a safe and healthy working environment
To enhance our spaces and facilities for staf to participate in wellbeing activities.
This section sets out the specifc objectives which we hope to achieve under each pillar.
10 Implementation
An implementation plan will be developed for the life of the Plan. The programmes, initiatives and activities will be developed, communicated and delivered based on the needs and priorities identifed by staf in the staf survey responses, the key fndings from the health checks report and the presenting issues identifed through the employee assistance services.
Information Gathering
The Health and Wellbeing Plan (2026–2029) relies on qualitative and quantitative indicators. Wellness and operational indicators measure quantitative data to identify trends, record programme satisfaction, document process compliance and track Health and Wellbeing investment. Data will be reviewed on an annual basis with the understanding that it may not be possible to conclusively detect any trends in improvements in health and wellbeing until approximately a number of years after the Plans are implemented.
The progress of the Plan will be measured in both quantitative and qualitative metrics to monitor engagement, progress and results.
Benchmarking staf satisfaction, perceptions and attitude changes to health and wellbeing through staf surveys
Measuring levels of staf participation
Preparing a comprehensive annual report and evaluation of yearly progress
Measuring activities planned to activities delivered
Measuring training provision through evaluating training aims and learning outcomes as well as participants’ before and after evaluation forms
Measuring the efectiveness of the communication plan through feedback from staf and key stakeholders.
Measuring Ongoing Success Of The Plan
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Evaluating
A Health and Wellbeing Committee was established as part of the Health and Wellbeing Plan 2021–2024 with representatives from a range of departments and interests within the organisation and from key stakeholders.
This group will continue through the life of the new plan and:
Assist in embedding the plan within the organisation through dissemination and communications with all staf
Evaluate, monitor and review intended outcomes. What is working well, what is not and why Providing constructive feedback on staf’s participation, behaviour and perceptions to health and wellbeing.
The membership of the committee is drawn from the following non- exhaustive representation:
Director of Human Resources, Economic Development & Emergency Services acting as Chairperson Member from each of the four staf representative bodies: Connect, FÓRSA, SIPTU and SIPTU Lapo Divisional Managers from each of the Directorates Member from the Health and Safety ofcers (rotating)
Additional external Advisors who are experts in their area will assist the committee as required on an ongoing basis.
The secretariat of the leadership group is provided by the staf Health and Wellbeing Team.
Leadership and Commitment
The Council aims to continue in being a model workplace for enhancing the health and wellbeing of its staf and believes that the physical, psychological welfare and safety of its staf are key aspects leading to organisational success and sustainability. Recognising the principles of mutual respect, confdentiality and working together with our staf, the Council is committed to continue collaborative planning to sustain a psychologically and physically healthy, safe working environment. Recognising that listening to our staf is an essential component, through this Health and Wellbeing Plan our staf can participate in the development, implementation and continual improvement to promote thriving at work.
‘Life is like a chain. Every link counts’
– Lee Horbachewski
Contact
Health & Wellbeing Team
Email: welfare@donegalcoco.ie
