GCS offer eligible employees access to the Local Government Pension Scheme. To find out more information and contact details, please visit City and County of Swansea Pension Fund
Health Shields cash plans make it easy and affordable for employees to manage their health.
The cash plans start from as little as £1.25 a week, and are a great way to look after your health and wellbeing as you claim back the costs of your everyday healthcare such as dental treatments, prescription glasses and contact lenses, physiotherapy and chiropractic sessions, private specialist consultations and so much more. It is easily set up through payroll deduction and best of all you can take out cover for you, your partner, and your children are covered for free up to the age of 21.
Why not take advantage of the wider range of cash back benefits such as sports and remedial massages to more relaxing treatments such as hot stone, aromatherapy, pre-natal and indian head massages, reiki, hopi ear candles and much more. For more information on the scheme, pricing and link to apply, click HERE or view the Wellbeing Calendar contact Lorraine.evans@gcs.ac.uk. You can also view their latest Wellbeing Calendar here HERE
Flu season is upon us – order your FREE flu jab voucher now
Flu is a contagious respiratory illness that can cause symptoms including fever, coughing, chills, body aches and fatigue. Flu season strikes every year, peaking during October – May. The best way to protect yourself and those around you from flu this winter, is to get a flu jab.
To reiterate a few facts about flu:
- Flu is contagious before symptoms start
- Symptoms can start abruptly, you may be fine one day and bedridden the next
- It takes up to 2 weeks for the flu vaccine to take effect as antibodies take this long to fully build up, and you could catch flu in the interim period
- The flu vaccine does not cause flu. The majority of flu jabs contain dead or inactivated flu viruses, some people do experience mild flu-like symptoms, but this isn’t flu and these symptoms typically only last one or two days.
- Flu can cause life-threatening complications, especially amongst the vulnerable, and thousands die every year in the UK from flu and associated conditions, such as pneumonia.
You can have a free NHS flu vaccine through your GP or local pharmacy if you are aged over 65 years old, have certain medical conditions or are pregnant.
However, Gower College Swansea are pleased to be able to offer free flu jabs to all staff regardless of age, who want to be vaccinated against flu. These vaccines are available at a local Boots pharmacy and at a time to suit you with many Boots stores open 7 days a week including some evenings.
For more information on how to get your free flu jab, please email Lorraine.evans@gcs.ac.uk.
We only have a limited number of vouchers and they will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, so do not delay, get your flu voucher today.
Carolyn Harries – MP for Swansea East
Carolyn Harries formed a new All-Party Parliamentary Group on Menopause in 2021, which was the first step towards securing the menopause revolution. She helped secure changes to reduce the cost of HRT prescriptions in England and is passionate about reducing the stigma around menopause and raising awareness of HRT and the lack of education surrounding it.
Carolyn delivered a webinar at GCS on the work she is doing on menopause on World Menopause Day 2021. Click here to view the full webinar.
Jayne Woodman – Founder of The Menopause Team.
Jayne Woodman is Swansea based and founder of The Menopause Team, established in 2019, to help employers and employees create significantly better menopause outcomes for women and organisations, through raising awareness of menopause and associated symptoms.
GCS invited Jayne to deliver a webinar to all employees on World Menopause Day in 2021 to talk about her experience of menopause and to share support options on how to better manage symptoms. Click here to view the full webinar.
We’re delighted to offer all of our female staff between the ages of 45 – 55 balance+ as part of Gower College Swansea’s wellbeing offer over the next 12 months..
balance+ is the world’s first medically approved health and wellbeing companion, tailored to the needs of perimenopausal and menopausal women, brought to you by balance app the award-winning menopause support app founded by GP and menopause specialist Dr Louise Newson.
By offering balance+, we’re committed to supporting the wellbeing of our staff and providing you with evidence-based knowledge and tools, so you have all the up to date information in relation to the perimenopause and the menopause.
The balance app is offering you access to medically approved content, a community to share with likeminded women, symptoms tracker and the ability to download your Health Report© to support consultation with your GP. Furthermore balance+ provides content from experts at the intersection of menopause including recipes, Yoga & Pilates classes, live Q&A sessions, mindfulness, real-life consultations and so much more.
To access balance+, please contact lorraine.evans@gcs.ac.uk for the link and your unique code.
In Gower College Swansea half of our workforce is made up of women over 40. In addition, 205 women fall into the age range that is most typically experiencing menopausal symptoms. We want to reduce the stigma around talking about menopause, raise awareness of the symptoms, provide information and signpost to available support networks.
We want to get everyone talking about menopause and we hold informal menopause cafes across all campuses to give employees the chance to get together over a coffee to talk and share their experiences. The sessions will be taking place on the following days and locations:
- Ty Coch Tuesday 20th September @ 12.00 pm, Main Hall
- Gorseinon Tuesday 27th September @ 12.00 pm, room to be announced
- Jubilee Court Tuesday 11th October @ 12.00pm, room to be announced
These sessions are subject to change, and will be open to all, regardless of gender or age and we look forward to meeting you all soon! For more information or to get involved, please contact Lorraine.evans@gcs.ac.uk