The Body Hotel Self-Care Suite Evaluation

The Body Hotel Self-Care Suite project was designed to support NHS staff, particularly palliative-care nurses and allied health professionals based at Velindre University NHS Trust, in managing high levels of stress, burnout, and emotional challenges. It offered movement-based workshops designed to help health care professionals process grief, alleviate burnout, and integrate simple, body-focused self-care practices into daily NHS practice. This evaluation, conducted between January and June 2025, used a mixed-methods approach including interviews and a psychological safety questionnaire.

Findings indicate that participants experienced improvements in personal well-being, including increased vitality, emotional resilience, self-awareness, confidence, and self-compassion. The sessions promoted a sense of playfulness and connection, helping staff to decompress and renew their energy. Professionally, the intervention enhanced multimodal communication, cross-cultural cohesion, team building, and the practical application of stress management tools, such as grounding and breathing techniques.

Barriers to participation included initial resistance to movement-based approaches, workload pressures, scheduling inflexibility, and concerns about clinical relevance or peer judgment. Practical constraints such as limited space and administrative burdens also impacted engagement. Nonetheless, participants and stakeholders emphasised that embedding these practices into routine NHS operations, with managerial support, clear communication about benefits, and flexible delivery formats (including digital options), could improve engagement and lead to a greater, more lasting impact.

Quantitative analysis revealed a statistically significant increase in social engagement post-intervention, reinforcing the perception of a supportive, non-threatening environment that fosters acceptance, trust, and open self-expression without fear of judgment.

While the Body Hotel Self-Care Suite is not a cure for systemic NHS challenges, it offers valuable resources to strengthen staff resilience, improve team dynamics, and contribute positively to workplace culture and personal well-being. Recommendations include integrating sessions into regular work practices, simplifying evaluation processes, expanding hybrid delivery options, and ensuring visible leadership endorsement to maximise participation and impact.