Mental Health First Aid Training: Will it become a legal requirement in businesses?
Published on February 1st, 2023 | by Sophie West
A new law requiring businesses to offer mental health first aid training has been presented to parliament.
As stated by the BBC, Tory MP Dean Russell told the Commons the move will lead to more people spotting the early signs of mental health issues in the workplace. Many businesses already offer mental health training to first aiders, but it is not a legal requirement so this idea has been discussed for several years in parliament and amongst like-minded campaigners.
The latest statistics released from the HSE, published in the Summary statistics for Great Britain 2022 state 17 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety. As a business, we believe workplace mental health to be equally important as physical health, there are no plasters for the mind. With this latest Bill proposal it is, undoubtedly, the time to check in with your employees and ensure that you are supporting them with their mental health to the best of your ability. Below we review some frequently asked questions.
What does mental health training cover?
Mental Health Training won’t teach you to be a therapist, but it will teach you to listen, reassure and respond. You will learn to recognise warning signs of ill mental health and develop the skills to help someone while keeping yourself safe.
How many mental health first aiders do I need?
We recommend businesses have as many mental health first aiders as they do first aiders where possible.
What courses are available for employers?
Agility Risk & Compliance offer many mental health courses our most popular courses are:
Staff work from home, how can I combat loneliness and priorities mental health?
As humans, we need interaction because it builds us and contributes to our growth. Companies can help by building an employee wellbeing programme, or expanding on one that is currently in place that incorporates loneliness.
- Encourage mental health or loneliness champions/mentors within the workplace
- Include a mental health and loneliness policy within your organisation
- Create small groups on social media where employees can go to encourage talking. To overcome any technology barriers for this, offer technology training days. This will also bring people together
- Read supporting blogs and articles online with tips on how to combat loneliness
- Train your workforce to recognise signs and symptoms of loneliness in themselves and colleagues
- Set up staff team building days where everyone can get together
- Encourage employees to listen to engaging podcasts on subjects they enjoy, or even ways they can overcome loneliness and mental health issues. Podcasts are available on major platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts.
Remember, when it comes to your employees, addressing wellbeing increases productivity by as much as 12%. Good mental health at work and management go hand in hand. So, if you would like more information on any other the courses above our you would like to know what other mental health courses we offer call 01527 571 611.
