Leading Northern Ireland GP, Dr Carla Devlin, encourages firms to focus on employee health at upcoming Body Talk Live event

“Since the COVID pandemic, people’s physical and mental health has deteriorated for many reasons, and one way we can help employers and their employees to better understand their health, is to cut through the misinformation and jargon about health and wellbeing, particularly with regards to women,” says Dr Devlin.

“Employers understand the importance of accountability and are increasingly exercising their responsibilities by seeking specialist care and advice from medical professionals in order to learn how to correctly manage the wellbeing of their employees in the workplace.”

As the Principal GP at Shankill Road Surgery and the owner of Berkeley Private Clinic in Lisburn, Dr Devlin says Body Talk Live, a one-day health conference, will bring together some of the UK and Ireland’s leading medical expert professionals to talk on a range of health issues, and is encouraging business leaders to have members of their management teams represented at the conference to demonstrate that they consider employee wellbeing as something that is of crucial importance in the workplace.

Dr Devlin continued: “Particularly over the past few years, the menopause has become an issue which is more openly discussed and understood in the workplace, with many business leaders putting measures in place to help their employees adapt to the demands of work when going through this natural biological process. We need business leaders, when considering management styles and productivity issues, to increasingly show an awareness of medical conditions which are particularly affecting women in the workplace every day.”

Body Talk Live, which is taking place on Friday, April 19, will cover all areas of women’s health including gut health, cardiovascular health, mental wellness, fitness and much more with a range of highly informed leading medical professionals delivering on-stage talks, masterclasses, panel discussions and Q&A sessions. Attendees will be informed of practical approaches that they can take to optimise their overall personal health and wellbeing.

Dr Devlin added: “This should be actively encouraged by all business employers to demonstrate the importance that they place on their workers’ health. Advice and knowledge around good health will help retain staff and mean fewer sick days. The conference will also include an exhibition showcasing a range of cutting-edge health products and will have CPD verified accreditation which can be used by employees to aid their annual business appraisal process.”

Pamela Ballantine MBE will host the conference, made up of speakers including life coach, Marcia Cassidy; gastroenterology consultant, Dr Jenny Addley; specialist gastroenterology dietitian, Noelle Power; consultant cardiologist and lead clinician for heart failure in Northern Ireland, Dr Patricia Campbell; general practitioner, Dr Eimear Mc Laverty; consultant gynaecologist and subspecialist urogynaecologist, Dr Patrick Campbell; podiatrist, Suzanne Hamilton; GP and British Menopause Society Menopause Specialist, Dr Andrea Latimer; general practitioner and Private GP, Dr Gavin Devlin; specialist pelvic health physiotherapist, Laura Forker and Hannah Shields, Northern Ireland’s first woman to climb Mount Everest.

The conference was co-founded by event management professionals, Weir Events.

Director of Weir Events, Sarah Weir added: “We are thrilled to join together with Dr Carla Devlin to introduce the first ever Body Talk Live event here in Northern Ireland, creating an open and structured environment for our attendees to understand even more about their own health. Making sure we are bringing together professionals who are clear in their advice and pulling together a schedule that will reliably inform is our priority and we are looking forward to a day that gives women the tools to understand their health even better.”

For further information, and to buy an early bird ticket for Body Talk Live on April 19 visit www.bodytalklive.co.uk