Innovative health programme for truck drivers shortlisted for national award
A truck driver doing cab-based exercises as part of the ‘SHIFT’ health promotion programme.
Partners, Leicester Diabetes Centre (LDC), Loughborough University and UK logistics company, Wincanton are delighted to announce that the health promotion programme, the ‘Structured Health Intervention for Truckers’ (SHIFT), has been shortlisted for Most Impactful Partnership in Preventative Healthcare at the 2025 HSJ Partnership Awards.
The HSJ Partnership Awards recognise outstanding dedication to improving healthcare and effective collaboration with the NHS. Now in their eighth year, the HSJ Partnership Awards have become the most recognised and respected mark of the strongest relationships between suppliers and the NHS.
The SHIFT programme aims to significantly improve the health and wellbeing of truck drivers by addressing the unique challenges they face, such as long hours of sitting, limited physical activity, and poor dietary options. It introduces an innovative, evidence-based approach to tackle obesity, cardiovascular risks, and other health conditions associated with a sedentary lifestyle.
SHIFT was developed and evaluated by a team of researchers at LDC and Loughborough University. The researchers have recently worked in partnership with Wincanton to implement the programme in the real world.
Wincanton has integrated the SHIFT programme into their driver training as part of their compulsory Certificate of Professional Competency (CPC) module, making it the first evidence-based health promotion programme integrated into a professional competency framework for over 8,000 drivers.
The programme aspires to set a new industry standard for health interventions, reducing health inequalities and improving life expectancy for drivers in a sector where health concerns are often neglected.
Professor Melanie Davies, Co-Director of LDC, said: “We are delighted that the SHIFT programme has been shortlisted for the 2025 HSJ Partnership Awards.
“This programme represents a significant stride toward a healthier and more fulfilling future for these drivers who play a crucial role in our society. By addressing both the physical and mental aspects of their wellbeing, we are not only enhancing their present quality of life but also laying the foundation for a healthier future.”
Project lead, Professor Stacy Clemes, from the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University, said: “We have been delighted to work with Wincanton to implement the SHIFT programme into a CPC module. Seeing our research put into practice, and making a real impact on people’s lives, is extremely rewarding.
“Our ambition is to make SHIFT accessible to all UK HGV drivers. This partnership enables us to evaluate our programme in a real-world setting, providing us with essential feedback to inform a much larger scale-up of the programme.”
Head of Operational Training at Wincanton, Rob Grant, added: “Working in partnership with Loughborough University and LDC to provide our colleagues with access to this industry first training has been a fantastic opportunity. We have a strong culture of care here at Wincanton and this SHIFT programme further strengthens our health, safety and wellbeing offering for our drivers.”
The selected winners will be announced during the awards ceremony at Evolution London on 20th March 2025.
The full list of nominees for the 2025 HSJ Partnership Awards can be found at https://partnership.hsj.co.uk/finalists-2025.