Westfield Health Appoints Kate Platts as Head of Research and Innovation

Kate Platts will head up research and innovation at Westfield Health to keep businesses ahead amid fast-paced, changing employee wellbeing demands.

Kate comes with a wealth of expertise in the wellbeing space. She is a Researcher at the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University, studying workplace health and wellbeing interventions.

She has previously worked with Westfield Health as part of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), where she explored and evaluated the impact of workplace interventions on employee wellbeing with multiple organisations, from SMEs to large corporates, and has recently published research on the impacts of home-working under lockdown on employee mental health.

Commenting on this appointment, Dave Capper, CEO at Westfield Health, says: “Wellbeing is more than a buzzword. The actions businesses take to look after their employees are important.

“It’s encouraging to see more organisations showing a commitment to health and wellbeing, with many taking a strategic approach and being more proactive than reactive.”

“Offering blanket advice will no longer help businesses that want to make a difference to their employee’s wellbeing and mental health. With the pandemic enabling more open discussions around mental health, employers need solutions that offer the support their people need.

“For us to be able to offer innovative, problem-solving solutions for businesses that are looking to enhance their wellbeing programmes, we wanted to utilise the latest research and expertise. We felt Kate was the perfect match – her vast knowledge in the wellbeing space will allow us to offer the best, refined advice for our clients”, adds Dave.

Poor organisational leadership at work and working after hours are often associated with occupational stress, anxiety, and depression. Both of these factors are more common in the workplace than we think. Commenting on her appointment at Westfield, Kate Platts says, “In the UK, around 1 in 5 adults reported feelings of depression in early 2021 – over double pre-pandemic levels.

“Following all of the changes that we have experienced across the past two years, workplaces need to be innovative in their approaches when handling wellbeing in the workplace.

“By joining Westfield Health, a pioneer in workplace wellbeing solutions, I will be able to apply the research I have conducted over the past three years to developing business solutions that positively impact individuals and organisations alike.

“I am looking forward to continuing my research into wellbeing alongside Westfield Health to ensure businesses across the UK get the best possible insights and programmes to support wellbeing at work”, concludes Kate.