MP Dean Russell urges support for a new bill that would see mandatory workplace mental health provision become law
Could support be on its way for mandatory mental health and wellbeing provision in the workplace?
A potential game-changer for workplaces and the mental health and wellbeing sector took place in parliament last week.
I was very interested to see that a new law requiring businesses to offer mental health first aid training as mandatory was presented in the House of Commons by MP Dean Russell (pictured at top).
He presented the proposed law in a really simple and clear manner and described the reasons for it extremely well.
Mr Russell quite rightly explained that mental health training in the workplace would save lives.
“People do not always wear bandages to show where they have anxiety and depression,” he told MPs.
Help and support
“This Bill will simply mean that workers have a person to signpost them to the help and support they need, when they need it.”
It was that final line which really struck a chord with me and is the best way to look at the proposed provision.
I have seen the idea of enforced mental health first aid in the workplace face some criticism since Mr Russell’s reading with people suggesting that it would encourage people who get training into thinking they are mental health therapists.
But that is not what it is about at all or what happens on an MHFA England course. Far from it.
In many ways, it’s like if you need some physical first aid because you have cut yourself, you need some immediate support but it doesn’t mean that you need to go to the hospital. You would benefit from prevention of making it worse and getting in early and, if your cut is not seen to, it can get infected. Mental Health First Aiders can provide that initial support to someone, before professional help is available or isn’t required.
If the suggestion becomes law (and it will take some time), it will be important for companies to choose MHFAiders who really want to do the training within any work environment.
They should be people who are approachable and people who others feel they can open up to.
It’s also important that there is some support for the Mental Health First Aiders after they have finished training too.
With the official MHFA England course, there is a lot of support afterwards from the organisation with apps, webinars and CPD sessions. Personally, I keep in contact with anyone who does one of my courses. There’s always an open door.
Recognising the signs
I know that some people have criticised MHFA for being irresponsible training, but as experienced instructors and mental health professionals, we do a lot of work about boundaries and self-care work too. We encourage everyone to support other people and we encourage conversations to make sure that people are mindful of their own wellbeing. Not only the learners (MHFAiders) on the course but the MHFA England instructors themselves.
It’s important that these discussions are happening and workplaces do need to be on board. We spend so much of our lives at work, that’s where people might notice a problem. If you don’t know what the signs are, it’s hard to recognise.
I recently read a story shared by a lady on LinkedIn when she listed the things that had happened to her while she was going through a divorce – and nobody at work noticed.
Perhaps if her colleagues had had MHFA training, they may have been able to spot what she was going through, which were experiences that actually led to her making an unsuccessful attempt on her life.
We do know that the earlier any signs are spotted, recovery is so much better for people. So, if others around you notice that you might not quite be yourself, and have the skills to support you, in some cases, they can save lives.
Mental health and wellbeing strategy
It’s important that it is supported in Parliament now after Mr Russell’s initial reading and that any workplaces that do buy into it, can’t let it just be a ‘tick-box’ exercise.
It cannot be effective like that as it becomes meaningless training that won’t be used to good effect.
The Government needs to have a strategy and then the workplaces who get involved need to have their own Mental Health and Wellbeing strategy too. One that doesn’t just encompass mental health and first aid. People need to think of the bigger picture and have a range of initiatives to create a positive and mentally healthy workplace culture.
There has to be an authenticity and a genuineness about it and so it’s great that this debate is being discussed at the highest levels out in the open.
If you would like any further information about MHFA, please get in touch with kate@wellbeingtherapysolutions.co.uk.
Eating disorder referrals have increased by a staggering 82 per cent over the last 24 months.
One of the therapy rooms for young people at Wellbeing Therapy Solutions
There are now an incredible amount of children being treated for serious mental health problems in the UK*.
Over one million children have been treated for serious mental health issues, equalling a 39 per cent rise over 12 months.
Meanwhile, specifically eating disorder referrals have increased by a staggering 82 per cent over the last 24 months.
With NHS services, and the wonderful people who work there, under incredible strain, it is unlikely these numbers will go down in the near future, so it is time to ask ourselves: Are we doing enough to look after our children in need?
The figures are shocking to see and the need to tackle this crisis head on is crucial if we are to make things better for young people who need support.
Crisis situation
Figures show that 75 per cent of mental illness in adults, actually starts before the age of 18.
So, it’s clear from that, if we can support the children who are identifying problems now, they are going to have a better prognosis and adulthood.
If we can tackle the situation now, we can make a difference for the future.
Sadly, in the UK at the minute, many young people are not offered support until it is a crisis situation because resources are so limited.
We try to always offer any young person – or their family members – an appointment as soon as possible. The WTS team believe that no young person should be told to wait or that they are not ill enough to be able to access support, medication or services, or whatever they need.
But we can do more as a society too – and we should do.
Often, society tells individuals they need to act if they are struggling to get the support they need and I don’t disagree with that. But schools and other environments can put changes in place to make it so much easier for that person to manage their difficulties or challenges they may face within their environment.
Devising strategies
We can really help by addressing things like sensory needs, doing things in different ways or devising strategies that can enhance an environment. We need to explore ways in which we can support, for example, a person who has developed an eating disorder as a coping strategy to help them deal with the emotional difficulties they are having.
Better plans and educating people can really make a difference. It’s important that we continue to try to get therapists placed at the heart of schools and services so that young people can access the support quicker, to prevent long-term problems.
But we need to act now. Only by doing so can we begin to provide for the huge numbers of young people that need our support today, not in 18 months’ time.
* Source of statistics in opening paragraphs – Analysis of official NHS figures by PA Media. Find out more here.
Wellbeing Therapy Solutions are proud to introduce a service that can help to reduce absenteeism in the workplace caused by poor mental health.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the wellbeing of the nation has taken a real hit and, with more and more NHS services stretched to the limit, people with poor mental health are struggling to get help.
Myself, and the team at Wellbeing Therapy Solutions have developed a series of wellbeing services that can be delivered at any business, big or small, with the intention of creating an environment and culture which leads to positive mental health among a workforce.
It’s a pro-active solution which provides support for staff and breeds a drive towards a positive mental health culture in the workplace. It also arms people with the tools they need to spot a struggling friend or colleagues and intervene before they need time off work to recover.
Three packages
Services are designed to meet the individual needs of a business with three packages across gold, silver and bronze that provide services and solutions for various-sized workforces.
Delivered by experienced occupational therapists, our Workplace Wellbeing Packages provide a mixture of Zoom meetings, one-to-one therapy sessions, self-management workshops and mental health training.
Services are delivered either in a business’ place of work, online, or our fully-equipped training room at Wellbeing Therapy Solutions’ base in Leicestershire.
Many businesses have responded in a positive fashion since the Covid pandemic, to try and make sure they are doing everything they can to support the wellbeing and mental health of their workforce.
Positive wellbeing
If the business you work for is keen on supporting and upskilling its workforce to, not only create a positive wellbeing culture, but also reduce the days lost to mental health issues, Wellbeing Therapy Solutions’ Workplace Wellbeing Packages can make a big difference.
MD Kate Jackson said: “We have been able to use real-life experiences over the past three years to help create and develop these services, which I whole-heartedly believe can make a real difference at any business.
“We provide 12-month packages where a number of services can be purchased and planned to meet the mental health and wellbeing needs of your team in a transparent and consistent manner.
“Businesses that have already tried our packages have reported back with some really positive feedback and it has been great to know that the real-world learnings we have made are being used to create a service that is making real differences to businesses and the people who work there.”
If you get a feeling in the pit of your stomach, around tea time on a Sunday, and start worrying about work on Monday, you are certainly not alone
Do you experience the ‘Sunday Scaries’?
That feeling in the pit of your stomach, around tea time on a Sunday, that the weekend is nearly over and it’s back to work when you wake up on Monday morning?
If so, you are not alone.
A new report has shown that work stress is the most common trigger for Britons who feel anxiety about the week ahead.
And 1 in 7 of us are now feeling those ‘Sunday Scaries’ according to a survey of more than 4,000 people, the findings of which were released just over a week after the World Health Organisation (WHO) released its first-ever set of guidelines on how to improve mental health in the workplace.
The statistics paint a worrying picture for managers and bosses who are faced with making the working environment one in which staff can not only spot the signs of colleagues when they are struggling with their mental health, but also provide support for those members of staff too.
“The well-being of the individual is reason enough to act, but poor mental health can also have a debilitating impact on a person’s performance and productivity,” said WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus who announced new guidelines to help prevent negative work situations and cultures and offer much-needed mental health protection and support for working people.
“The guidelines also suggest employers should make adjustments for workers with mental health conditions as well as offering support for those returning to work after mental health-related absences.”
Wellbeing Therapy Solutions MD Kate Jackson said that more and more companies were starting to be aware – and act upon – supporting their employees towards better wellbeing and mental health.
Mental health absences
“There are 72 million days a year lost to mental health absences in the UK economy and, on the back of Covid having such a big effect on all of our lives, more business owners are starting to realise the importance of doing everything they can to improve the wellbeing and mental health of their staff,” added Kate.
“Forward-thinking businesses are not only upskilling their staff and making them aware of the importance of positive mental health within the workplace, they are also keen on creating a positive wellbeing culture at work where people can be honest and open up to colleagues about any issues they are facing.”
Wellbeing Therapy Solutions have a number of workplace wellbeing packages they are offering to businesses and organisations.
Gold, silver and bronze packages are available where a number of services can be purchased and planned to meet the mental health and wellbeing needs of a specific team in a consistent and transparent manner.
What an inspirational and diverse group of OTs we have at Wellbeing Therapy Solutions.
Wellbeing Therapy Solutions is four years old <corks pop>!
It’s been a very rewarding journey and I am very proud of what the team have achieved.
Guiding a fledgling business through a pandemic was a real challenge, not only because of what we faced from a health point of view but because of the swathe of mental health issues that arose from it.
We were desperate to help as many people as possible who emerged from the pandemic with poor mental health and I was so pleased that we could expand both the team and the premises we worked in.
Moving to Bodie’s House near Leicester has enabled us to offer some really high-quality services in a great setting for both our one-to-one clients, the businesses we work with and our team of occupational therapists (OTs).
Close-knit team
Having a larger and close-knit team means that we can offer a timely solution for people who want our help – something we were very keen to do throughout and following the pandemic.
We currently don’t have a waiting list and we ensure people who want our help are seen quickly. That’s really important to our business’ ethos and values and I will always strive to make sure our OTs and support packages are there for people, particularly when services such as the NHS are just so stretched and overworked.
As we have grown, we have been able to support local and national businesses too with a variety of mental health and wellbeing support packages for themselves and their staff. In fact, we have just launched a brand new bronze, silver and gold range of services which makes it easier for businesses and organisations to choose a range of support that is ideally suited to their needs.
We are really excited about where that could go in the coming months helping businesses overcome any number of challenges they are currently facing.
Fourth birthday
We celebrated our fourth birthday by coming together as a team and sharing some time… and food!
We believe that team is at the heart of everything we do. We are a genuinely supportive team and that comes across in the work that we do, the businesses we engage with and the work we do with them.
