Serve and Protect Credit Union has awarded a £2,478 grant to Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) to help staff manage financial stress and improve mental wellbeing. The funds will be used to create dedicated relaxation areas across several TEWV sites, providing NHS workers with a place to decompress during demanding shifts.
Russell Smith, Staff Health & Wellbeing Lead at TEWV, said: “We are seeing lots of financial wellbeing issues, financial vulnerabilities, staff worried about paying their bills. It’s a huge issue and we are well aware of it. Financial stress can lead to staff being unproductive, worried about work, unhappy at work, feeling burnt out and stressed.”
The new facilities — five in total — have been designed as quiet, restorative spaces equipped with calming music, wellbeing boxes, and essential supplies such as refreshments and comfort items. Each space is intended to allow staff to “relax and reset,” reinforcing the Trust’s wider aim of sustaining a healthy, motivated workforce capable of delivering consistent, high-quality patient care.
The initiative forms part of Serve and Protect’s Community Fund, which provides grants to support projects that enhance wellbeing among its member base, including employees across emergency and public service sectors. The fund is financed through Friends of Serve and Protect, an association that runs a monthly member lottery, with profits directed toward community initiatives that make a measurable social impact.
Serve and Protect already partners with TEWV through a payroll savings scheme, allowing staff to contribute directly from their salaries into credit union accounts. The collaboration is intended to strengthen financial resilience among NHS employees — an area of increasing concern as the cost of living continues to place pressure on household budgets.
The credit union’s Community Fund has previously supported similar wellbeing-focused projects within the wider emergency services network. By combining practical financial support with community investment, the fund aims to reinforce the link between financial stability and mental wellbeing across public service organisations.
