Harriet Tims has introduced ‘Just to Make you Smile’ toilet bags at Park Vet Group.
Leading Leicestershire Vet Practice Providing Menopause Support
7 months ago 
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A vet practice in Leicestershire has introduced innovative ‘Just to Make you Smile’ toilet bags as part of a pioneering programme providing menopause support for colleagues.
Linnaeus-owned Park Vet Group, which has practices in Glenfield, Whetstone, Scraptoft Lane and Saffron Lane, is also offering personal and confidential support for those who wish to talk about female health and the menopause.
Spearheading the initiative is Park practice manager Harriet Tims, whose own personal experience of medically induced menopause, twice prior to endometriosis surgery made her aware of how much could be done to promote female health, together with highlighting the unknown symptoms aligned with the menopause, and breaking taboos.
Harriet said: “As well as the ‘Just to Make you Smile’ toilet bags we also offer the chance to talk openly about female health and menopause, encouraging confidential or open conversations, purely based on the individual and how we can support during a time of need.”
The toilet bags contain sanitary products, tissues, hygiene wipes, deodorant spray and face wipes and anyone in the Park Vet Group team can help themselves and also add products to the bag should they wish.
Harriet, who had the full support of both Park and Linnaeus in launching the initiative, added: “We discussed it within the team leaders and I introduced the bags to our sites.
“I then updated all our associates and the response was fantastic. The bags are being constantly used, being filled up and used by anyone and everyone. Each time I see them it makes me proud the team have taken to this so happily.”
Harriet’s next steps to support female team members are to review the number of sanitary bins and level of collections based on staff numbers, look at the possibility of becoming an endometriosis friendly employer and rolling out the toilet bags to the client waiting room bathrooms, plus offering further support to associates who are male or born male.
Saskia Connell, people and organisation director at Linnaeus, said: “I am so proud of Harriet and the team at Park for their positivity, team effort and energy.
“Their menopause initiatives are not only supporting the health and wellbeing of the team – adapting to the needs of different associates is also a great example of inclusivity in practice.”
For more information on Park Vet Group, which has practices in Glenfield, Whetstone, Scraptoft Lane and Saffron Lane, visit https://www.parkvetgroup.com.
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