CDAT (Chester Diocesan Academies Trust)

About the organisation and their occupational health requirements

CDAT is a growing multi-academy trust currently made up of 25 church primary schools. Serving over 3,000 pupils, they have a clear commitment to building a nurturing, high-performing learning environment that gives every child access to an excellent standard of education.

Reflecting the broader challenges faced by an education sector under immense pressure to deliver exceptional results within increasingly tight budgets, the Trust was navigating ongoing issues around long-term sickness, workforce stress and the wider impact this was having on both pupils and staff.

Recognising the need to better manage staff absence and proactively support the health and resilience of their teams, they were looking for occupational health support that was not only clinically robust, but also responsive, accessible and cost-effective – a solution capable of delivering real impact in a fast-paced, resource-stretched environment.

The challenge

CDAT wanted a solution that could:

• Support decision-making around employee fitness for work and give managers confidence in making timely, appropriate workplace adjustments
• Provide responsive, case-by-case support in managing staff sickness
• Help them develop a longer-term strategy to improve workforce health and embed a more proactive approach to employee wellbeing across the Trust
• Ultimately reduce the operational strain caused by both frequent and long-term absence

The Protect solution

Embedding a culture of early intervention

CDAT subscribes to our standard Protect package, which includes unlimited access to both our management referral and our Duty Clinical Manager services. Throughout the onboarding process, the Trust’s dedicated Protect Client Relationship Manager (CRM) provided support to help educate their managers on the importance of seeking early occupational health guidance when an employee reports a health issue or sickness absence. This, alongside the flexibility afforded by the subscription model, has enabled the Trust to make full and effective use of both these services, reducing reliance on reactive referrals and allowing them to benefit from more timely advice around reasonable adjustments, phased return planning and other support requirements. They have also been able to seek support and guidance on managing ongoing long-term absence cases, with our clinicians providing detailed, business-focused reports and recommendations that not only support recovery and promote long-term employee wellbeing but are also practical and sustainable within a school setting.

As part of their package, CDAT also benefits from unlimited pre-placement health screening for new starters. This proactive measure helps identify any existing health conditions or disabilities prior to an employee starting in post. It enables our clinicians to recommend any necessary support or workplace adjustments before employment begins and means the Trust can ensure they have the right provisions in place – and are better equipped to support staff effectively – from day one, thereby reducing future absence risks.

A focus on mental health and wellbeing

Using our dynamic MI reporting tools, CDAT’s CRM has helped them review referral data and identify the key health risks affecting staff across the Trust – namely, mental health concerns and stress. These insights, combined with close collaboration, ongoing input and guidance from their CRM, have helped them shape both their current and longer-term wellbeing strategy to reduce these risks, equipping them with the knowledge and confidence to take a more preventative approach focused on early action and intervention. Proactive measures they have taken since working with us include educating their managers on recognising and responding to early signs of stress, anxiety and burnout and streamlining their internal processes for addressing employee health concerns before a referral to occupational health is needed.

Alongside this, they have also focused on improving engagement with the free support available through their Protect package – particularly the Thrive Mental Wellbeing app, which offers an in-app therapy chat function, a full CBT programme, and a range of practical tools to help employees build resilience, self-manage symptoms and develop a more proactive mindset around protecting their mental health. This has been achieved through the introduction of regular internal communications across the Trust to increase staff awareness of Thrive and the other wellbeing resources they can access via the Protect Employee Portal.

CDAT are now also exploring the addition of physiotherapy services to their Protect package, to help them more proactively tackle musculoskeletal disorders – the other key health risk highlighted by their referral data.

Why it’s worked

Since joining Protect, CDAT has been supported to take a more proactive, trust-wide approach to employee health, with a clear focus on early intervention and staff wellbeing. This has not only helped address one of their biggest absence drivers but has also equipped managers with the tools and confidence to respond to staff health concerns more effectively and at an earlier stage.

A key factor has been the collaborative relationship built with their dedicated CRM, whose ongoing consultancy and support have enabled the Trust to navigate challenges with greater clarity and assurance. This, combined with the Trust’s own commitment to maintaining consistent and open communication with staff, has strengthened the overall impact of their OH service – contributing to reduced referral volumes and a more sustainable model for workforce health management in the future.

Over the course of their partnership with us, the Trust has:

• Rolled out services to three additional schools within the organisation
• Seen strong, positive engagement with the service from both managers and staff
• Chosen to act as a reference customer – a clear reflection of their satisfaction with Protect and the results achieved

Together, we’ve laid the foundations for a healthier, more resilient school workforce – and a long-term approach to absence reduction that puts people first.