Posted on: 22 January 2026
Yorkshire Women’s Forum is working with South Asian women in Bradford through an eight-week wellbeing and work-readiness programme called WorkRight.
The programme supports women who are not currently in work because of health issues, caring responsibilities or major life changes. It runs as part of Healthy Working Life, which is a joint programme of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB).
WorkRight focuses on health and wellbeing as a first step towards work. The programme recognises that many women need to improve their health and confidence before they can think about employment, training or volunteering.
A key part of the programme uses a holistic wellness wheel. This helps women look at physical health, mental and emotional wellbeing, sleep, nutrition and physical activity - and understand how these areas connect. Women then identify small, realistic changes they can make to improve their wellbeing and prepare for work in a way that suits them.
Noshina Kiani, Director of Yorkshire Women’s Forum CIC, designed and developed the programme. She also secured funding from the VCS Alliance, building on learning from a previous successful programme called Mindful Menopause.
The programme also includes a strong health focus. Yorkshire Women’s Forum secured access to PocDoc testing through West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, as part of a cardiovascular disease health inequalities project. This allows women to learn more about their heart health and take early action to reduce risk. PocDoc is an app-based test that gives quick results on cholesterol, body mass index, heart age and 10-year risk of heart attack or stroke. Results are available within minutes and you can start making healthy changes straight away.
Noshina said: “WorkRight is about meeting women where they are and supporting them with compassion and understanding. We know that health and life experiences can be major barriers to work, and this programme helps women rebuild confidence at their own pace. Thanks to the funding and support from the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, we were able to offer PocDoc testing and address important health inequalities in our community.”
Yorkshire Women’s Forum aims to support women to live longer, healthier lives by focusing on the principles of longevity holistic wellness and creative health.
See the South Asian women urged to check heart health article on BBC news for more information and the video, courtesy of PocDoc, explaining more about the tests.