British Government To Establish Mental Health Aid In Schools And Work

British Government To Establish Mental Health Aid In Schools And Work

By Gavin Mackintosh-

The British government has promised to establish mental health  in schools and work places.

The assurance comes after several employers have campaigned for mental health aid to be taken more seriously at schools at work.

Over  865 employers have already signed the Time to Change pledge to take mental health conditions more seriously at work. However the first aid campaign shows it is not enough to leave it up to businesses discretion and argues all employees to have equal entitlement to support.

“This is just one part of improving approaches to workplace mental health, but it represents an important step forward,” Fionnuala Bonnar, chief operating officer of Mental Health First Aid.

“Ensuring that first aid support is there for the millions of people who struggle with their mental health every year will make a big difference to how we all think about our health as a whole. The British Government has responded to the campaign by promising to prioritize establishing mental health aid in schools and the work place.

The government told The Eye Of Media.Com that they are committed to achieving the desirable goals of addressing mental health issues at schools and the work place, but indicated there was no immediate time framework for this in place. The government said this will be implemented in due course.

A government spokesman said: “We have been clear that establishing parity between physical and mental health is a priority for this government, and we want to ensure that people with mental health conditions have the opportunity to progress in the workplace and achieve their potential.

“That’s exactly why we’re taking forward all 40 recommendations of the independent Stevenson Farmer Review of mental health and employers.

“The Health and Safety Executive will shortly be updating its First Aid guidance to help employers better understand the need to consider mental health alongside physical health.

Royal Mail, WHSmiths, Alan Sugar and management consultants PwC are among more than 50 companies asking the prime minister to fulfil her manifesto pledge to update health and safety regulations and put mental and physical conditions on equal footing.

They warned that the current burden of anxiety, stress and depression in the workplace carries an “astronomical cost” to the economy, but an untold human cost on individuals and their relationships.”As an employer, we have a duty of care for our staff and whilst some employers are at the forefront of change and equalizing their number of mental health first aiders with physical first aiders, we cannot afford to leave anyone behind,” the letter says.

“Cost cannot be a reason for objections because in the long run it is inevitable that making mental health first aid in the workplace mandatory will save money.

“Success will ensure that employees everywhere can access a trained staff member to receive initial support and guidance if they are dealing with a mental health issue at work.

“Success will ensure every employee has the right to a mentally healthy environment.Crucially it will also mean we can “finally break the stigma of mental health in the workplace.”

The campaign, launched by Mental Health First Aid England, estimates failing to address these issues costs the UK economy more than £35bn a year from 15.4 million days lost to anxiety, stress and depression. However an independent review commissioned by Theresa May last year suggests the cost could be three times higher, up to £99bn, when accounting for the 300,000 people with long-term mental health conditions who are laid off every year.

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