MHFA England's first ever Impact Report shares our 12 years of history, our achievements over the year 2018-19, and our plans for the future. It's a celebration of our whole community's hard work and passion for improving the mental health of the nation.
Impact Report 2018-19
Who we are We are Mental Health First Aid England. We are a training and campaigning organisation. We are a community interest company (CIC) and a member of Social Enterprise UK. As a CIC we make profit with pride which we reinvest to help achieve our mission.
We offer mental health training, including Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), a mental health skills and awareness programme which came to England in 2007. The Department of Health: National Institute of Mental Health in England (NIMHE) developed and launched the programme as part of a national approach to improve public mental health. Mental Health First Aid International licenses our Instructor Training programme and we are the only organisation in England who can provide it. Our Instructor Training programme is accredited by the Royal Society for Public Health and is delivered by our independent National Trainers. Once trained, our Instructor Members go on to deliver MHFA England courses all over the country.
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is the estimated total cost of mental ill health in England per year £105 bi lion Why we exist Our vision is to improve the mental health of the nation. 1 in 4 people experience mental health issues each year 15 people each day took their life in 2017
We all have mental health. Better mental health is good for everyone and recognising this is good for society. We want a society where everyone can thrive. We believe in zero stigma surrounding mental health. We want mental health to be openly discussed and supported. It’s easy to think there’s no right place to talk about mental health. But the more we talk about it, the better life is for all of us. Mental illness is the largest single source of burden of disease in the UK 1 . One in four people experience a diagnosable mental health condition each year 2 - that’s a quarter of our population who need the right support. Yet 70-75% of people with diagnosable mental illness receive no treatment at all 3 .
The total cost of mental ill health in England is estimated at £105 billion per year. But it’s not just costing us money, it has a human cost too. It costs us productivity, relationships and self-esteem. It also costs us lives. In 2017 there were 5,487 4 suicides in Great Britain. This means more than 15 people per day took their life. It is estimated that many more people attempt suicide. We want to drive these statistics down. Behind each of these statistics is a life and friends and family. We want our training to create an unshakable belief that we can all talk freely about mental health and seek support when we need it. We will achieve this through our mission to train one in ten people in mental health awareness and skills.
1. Royal College of Psychiatrists. No health without public mental health: the case for action. Position Statement PS4/2010. 2010. 2. Mental Health Taskforce NE. The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health. 2016. 3. Davies SC. Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer 2013, Public Mental Health Priorities: Investing in the Evidence. 2014. 4. Office for National Statistics. Suicides in the UK: 2017 registrations. 2018.
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What we do Through our training and campaigning, we equip people with the skills they need to support their own and others’ wellbeing. We empower people to notice the signs of mental ill health. We encourage them to break down barriers and listen in a non-judgemental way. We show them how to signpost to support for recovery. We offer a range of training courses from awareness raising to skill development. Our MHFA Two Day course is our most popular training and is designed for everyone. Through this course we take people on a journey to understand what mental health is. We discuss how we all have mental health, like physical health, and we teach people to look after their own and others’ wellbeing.
Our MHFA Two Day course
Encourages people to challenge the language we use around mental health
Explores our frame of reference and the stigma attached to mental health, from both personal and societal perspectives
Helps people to understand what good mental health looks like
Explores the factors that can have an impact on your mental health
Looks at how you can support yourself and others with self-care, giving people skills to influence their own mental health and help prevent mental ill health
Teaches how to intervene (including in a crisis), reassure and signpost to further support
Teaches about diagnosable mental health conditions, what unwell looks like and how to spot these signs in yourself or others
Talks about recovery from mental illness and looking forward
Talks about what to do if you think someone is unwell and the steps to take for early intervention
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MHFA training has a 20 year history with a strong evidence base showing it can achieve these learning outcomes. It is proven to increase people’s mental health awareness, knowledge, skills and confidence. This enables them to intervene in situations where they notice signs of poor mental health. The evidence also shows that our training provides skills for prevention of and early intervention for mental ill health.
It empowers people to talk about mental health, support mental health, and reduce stigma.
We want equality between mental health and physical health – in access to support and in people’s ability to identify and prevent ill health. This does not mean we believe these are the same, or should be treated in the same way, but they should be given equal attention, status and resource.
The MHFA England framework
Understanding factors that can influence mental health, addressing stress, the importance of self-care, exercise, a nutritious diet and a healthy sleep routine Prevention
Spotting signs of poor mental health, how to intervene (including in a crisis) and listening and communicating non-judgementally Early intervention
Knowing ways to access support including counselling, Signposting to support
therapy, peer support, self-help, medication, and getting emergency help in a crisis
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We are part of a global community The innovative MHFA training course was first developed in Australia in 2000, inspired by the successful physical first aid model. MHFA course content is regularly updated to ensure that it is drawing on the latest evidence base. Delphi expert studies form the basis of MHFA course content. Experts include people with lived experience of mental health issues, carers, academics and mental health professionals. They give guidance on what kinds of first aid support are helpful to a person who may be experiencing a mental health issue. They also advise on what support a Mental Health First Aider should be trained to provide. 26 organisations, from voluntary groups to governmental bodies, are licensed by MHFA International to deliver evidence-based programmes.
These organisations are in different countries all over the world. Globally, over three million people have been trained in MHFA skills.
Countries with licensed MHFA organisations: Australia, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Cambodia, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Hong Kong, India, Republic of Ireland, Japan, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, USA, Wales
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Letter from the Chief Executive and Chair of the Board Welcome to our first impact report.
calls for Government to update health and safety legislation to protect mental health in the workplace. We launched new guidance for employers about how to bring MHFA into a whole organisation approach to mental health. We reached 2,040 schools through the national Youth MHFA in Schools programme funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. We hope you enjoy reading about these achievements and more in the following pages. We are also pleased to share our plans. Strategy 2025 sets our direction for the next six years. We hope you will join us on the journey. Thank you to everyone who is part of MHFA England. Thank you to our ever-growing network of skilled people who are reducing stigma with every conversation. Together we can make a huge impact. Together we can improve the mental health of the nation.
This is a celebration of MHFA England, our 12 years of history, our achievements over the year 2018-19 and our plans for the future. It has been a year full of milestones. We said goodbye to Poppy Jaman OBE who served as MHFA England’s CEO from 2009 until May 2018. Poppy was one of the founders of the MHFA movement in the UK. She grew a small government project into a commercially successful social enterprise with international standing. We are so thankful for everything she has done. Our central team has expanded to support our growing organisation and in February 2019 we moved office. Our National Trainer team and our instructor membership grew too. Together our Instructor Members have now trained over 400,000 people in England since 2009 and we’re proud to see this number increasing every day. We were very pleased that by March 2019 we reached our target of 100 Youth instructors trained through the Thrive LDN programme. We made huge strides in the Where’s Your Head At? campaign which
Simon Blake Chief Executive
Mark Watson-Gandy Chair of the Board
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Looking back
2007
2008
MHFA came to England and was launched under the Department of Health.
In December, we held our first instructor conference. It was at the Queen Elizabeth conference centre in London. Over 100 newly trained instructors came along. Dame Carol Black spoke, there were workshops and talks about lived experience.
In January, the first 14 National Trainers were trained by MHFA Scotland. This was a five day residential course. In September, the first Instructor Training programme
took place. They used photocopied manuals because the new ones weren’t printed yet!
2016
2017
The Fortuna 50 named us as one of the UK’s fastest growing women-led small businesses. We had an entirely female executive board and attended No. 10 Downing Street to celebrate. On World Mental Health Day (10th October) an Early Day Motion was taken to Parliament. It called for Mental Health First Aid to be included in the regulations that all employers must follow under the Health and Safety at Work Act. We refreshed our brand. Our logo was designed to show the meeting of minds. It was abstracted to avoid association with gender or age. The two minds join to form an M which represents mental health and the connecting of a community. We provided consultancy support for MHFA Ireland to set up their workplace function.
We were included on the inaugural Financial Times 1000 special report. This is a list to recognise the innovative and fast-growing companies that are the driving force of the European economy.
We launched the government funded Youth MHFA in Schools programme.
We launched the Higher Education MHFA One Day course, together with charity Student Minds. On World Mental Health Day, our then CEO Poppy Jaman was invited to deliver a briefing to the Cabinet at No.10 Downing Street. In November we celebrated the tenth anniversary of MHFA in England at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham.
2018
Poppy Jaman received an OBE in recognition of her services to people with mental health issues. Poppy Jaman moved on from her post and Simon Blake was appointed as our new Chief Executive. We supported the release of the UK’s biggest ever stress survey. This was in partnership with the Mental Health Foundation. It revealed a generation gap in howwe deal with mental health. The ground-breaking Thrive LDN Youth MHFA in London Schools programme was launched. An Open Letter to the Prime Minister was signed by more than 50 leaders of some of Britain’s biggest employers. It called on the Government to prioritise its manifesto pledge to amend health and safety legislation to put mental and physical first aid on an equal footing. The Health and Safety Executive updated their first aid guidance on mental health.
Poppy Jaman OBE
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We have an exciting 12 year history. This year we are celebrating ten years of being a community interest company! Let’s take a look back at our big moments –
2009
2010
2012
We wrote the Youth MHFA Two Day course with help from an expert reference group. It included young people, Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services and paediatric psychiatrists.
We became a community interest company to be more sustainable. We had one product – the Adult MHFA Two Day course – which was then called the Standard MHFA course. Mark Napier became Chair of the Board.
Our first awards ceremony took place in the House of Lords. Lord Kamlesh Patel OBE, Patron of MHFA England, hosted it. Lord Patel and Dame Carol Black
2015
2014
2013
We supported the launch of MHFA in Bangladesh. We trained the first cohort of 16 National Trainers in Adult MHFA.
We worked with the Uganda People’s Defence Force to train personnel in Armed Forces MHFA Two Day. The British High Commission requested this training. 76 people were trained, and the course was translated into Swahili. Professor Mark Watson-Gandy took over as Chair of the Board.
We received government funding to train up to 200 Armed Forces MHFA instructors. The Instructor Members went on to train over 6,000 people in the Armed Forces MHFA Two Day course which was written to support the armed forces community, including serving personnel and veterans. Combat Stress, The Royal British Legion and SSAFA, The Armed Forces Charity, supported the design and roll out of this course. The impact of the training was evaluated by the University of Gloucestershire.
2019
MPs had a cross-party debate on mental health first aid in the workplace. The Backbench Business Committee in the House of Commons Chamber granted the debate. We moved to our new office space in the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ premises. It gives us a more flexible working and meeting space for our growing organisation. We launched best-practice guidance for employers. It details how to embed MHFA England training
in the workplace. We also launched guidance on the role of the Mental Health First Aider. We developed Strategy 2025 and refined our vision and mission for the next six years.
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Our training From April 2018 to the end of March 2019 we are proud to have trained a further 140,379 people in mental health skills.
We have trained over 400,000 people since 2009. Mental Health Aware, MHFA Champions and Mental Health First Aiders are a powerful network of people who are actively breaking barriers, setting up new initiatives and reducing stigma around mental health. At the end of the training we ask everyone some questions as part of our evaluation process. We ask them to score their personal confidence of how best to support others with a mental health issue, on a scale of 0-10. Our data from 2018-19 shows that people had an average confidence rating of 4.80 before the training. This moved up to 8.27 after the training.
We also ask people to score their knowledge and understanding of how best to support others with a mental health issue. Our data shows that people had an average score of 4.54 before the training. This moved up to 8.45 after the training. We want our training to create an unshakable belief that we can all talk freely about mental health and seek support when we need it. These figures show an important move towards this. We also ask people to rate the course as part of our quality assurance process. This is to uphold the high standard of MHFA England training. We are proud that 98.58% of people rated their course as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ over the last year. As the leading provider of Mental Health First Aid training in England, the standard of our training is key.
of people rated the course as ‘good’ or‘ very good’ over the last year 98.5%
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Number of people on courses
Adult 109,158 Youth 26,077
Higher Education 2,614 Armed Forces 2,530
people trained in 2018-19 140,379
People trained in MHFA England skills
400,000+
340,000
218,000
147,000
96,000
79,000
65,000
53,000
33,261
9,060 19,252
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019 (so far)
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It starts with our team Our vision to improve the mental health of the nation starts with our team. We want to show how a successful and profitable business can be healthy, happy and productive.
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Awards and accreditations We have a central team of 75 employees who work from our London office, which was a team of 48 one year ago. We are delighted that our organisational growth allows us to employ more people in a supportive workplace. Our awards and accreditations include:
Mindful Employer demonstrating our commitment to supporting our employees
2018: Great Place to Work : Excellence in Wellbeing recognising our culture, rewards, and support given to staff
Disability Confident Leader demonstrating our approach to recruiting and retaining people with disabilities and health conditions
London Living Wage employer paying all our employees a wage they can live on
Exemplary employer Last year we ran a Great Place to Work employee survey. We are proud that 93% of employees said that MHFA England is a great place to work. We also achieved an 89% engagement score. We welcome every employee into the MHFA England family. We are dedicated to being an exemplary employer. We are committed to rewarding our employees with competitive pay, a flexible and supportive workplace, opportunities to grow and develop, and our promise to put wellbeing first. We have two wellbeing breaks each year in addition to annual leave. Last year we benchmarked all our salaries against market rates.
We uphold our brand values in our working lives: clear, accessible, innovative, empowering and trustworthy. Our values place a great emphasis on being an open and considerate team. We see this on a day to day basis with Bonusly, our employee recognition and reward platform, and the number of cakes brought in to share! Employees run mindfulness sessions, knitting groups and a running club to support wellbeing.
93% of employees said that MHFA England is a great place to work
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Yasmine Syed – Finance Administrator
Yasmine and Dion
Yasmine has been working at MHFA England for two months. She is already noticing the difference in workplace culture. Yasmine joined MHFA England because she believed in the mission. She experiences her own mental health struggles. She knows first-hand how important it is for workplaces to understand how to care for mental health. Yasmine’s past organisation discouraged their employees from expressing emotions. She had to leave personal issues at home and switch her emotions off at work. Yasmine says she became just a professional front, and her managers praised her for it. Yasmine felt able to speak about her diagnosis of borderline personality disorder during her interview at MHFA England. She says: “I felt accepted, and I knew that the business was practising what they preach!” Yasmine gets on well with her new colleagues. She is surprised about how many people she has talked openly with about mental health. She is no longer worried about losing her job when she shows emotion. Yasmine believes that workplaces need better training in mental health provision. She explains: “It feels so good being able to talk about mental health issues here. If you say you’ve got a broken foot, everyone understands that. But with mental health, many people can’t grasp it”.
Dion Chan – Finance Officer
Dion joined MHFA England in September 2017. She worked in a few different organisations before, including for her parents’ business. She found this a difficult experience. She took on a lot of her parents’ stress and hearing negativity became part of her routine. Dion moved to MHFA England for career progression and hasn’t looked back. She says that she tends to overlook her achievements and self-criticise. MHFA England has given Dion a colleague support system. Dion says: “Thanks to the Bonusly platform, my kind colleagues and supportive managers, I am frequently encouraged by the recognition of the work I have done. Besides the friendly culture, our innovative and empowering directors demonstrate the values of MHFA England which keep motivating and inspiring me.”
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Our new office space Last year, it became clear that we were outgrowing our office space. Our team were working across two floors in shared office space and our style was feeling a little cramped! We began to think about what we needed from our new office. We wanted more autonomy from the space. We wanted an office that reflected our brand identity. We wanted to put employee wellbeing first. We paired up with Habit Action because they work with an excellent mix of science and creative design. Over two weeks, Habit Action asked employees to track their activity on an app. This was to understand how we perform our work, asking us to log the time we spend on high focus tasks, solo work or collaborating with others. They used this data to know what type of zones to create to match our working styles. To gather ideas for the design, Habit Action also asked employees what they would want to say goodbye to, keep and gain from their new office. And to help us preserve our culture, we asked everyone to describe MHFA England in one word.
We then formed an employee committee whose role was to share more details on what working at MHFA England feels like. Habit Action took these thoughts and turned them into design. The employee vision for their new space was clear all the way through the design process. We know that employees are already seeing the benefits of working in this new space which is improving productivity and wellbeing. In a recent employee survey, 93% of respondents said that the new office provides them with choices to meet their working style. 77% of respondents said that the new office has improved their wellbeing. We also put sustainability at the heart of our office design. Our cork flooring, carpets and acoustics are all thoughtfully sourced. The suppliers put serious thought into their environmental responsibility. They are committed to sustainable practices and materials. We donated 56 PCs through a giveback scheme. Through this we supported two purpose led organisations in Sierra Leone - Sensi Tech Innovation Hub and CARE International.
77% of employees said that the new office has improved their wellbeing 93% of employees said that the new office provides them with choices to meet their working style
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Our instructor membership We have a talented instructor membership. They come from all walks of life and have a wide breadth of experience, but all have one thing in common – a desire to improve the mental health of the nation.
Over our 12 year history we have trained over 4,000 instructors to deliver MHFA England courses. Our 56 National Trainers run our Instructor Training programmes. This year we are proud that they have delivered 96 programmes, training 1,184 new instructors. All our MHFA England Instructor Members have passed our licenced seven day training programme, accredited by the Royal Society for Public Health. The programme takes place over six weeks and is followed by an assessment and sign off process, and one year of mentor support. To ensure their skills stay up to date and they can maintain their membership with us, our Instructor Members deliver a minimum of two courses and attend at least one continuing professional development (CPD) event per year. We have run 100 CPD events this year to support our Members who are active and 930 in training. Some Instructor Members are independent and some work within other organisations. They deliver courses in workplaces, schools, universities and communities all over the country. Instructor Members’ development. We currently have 2,224 Instructor
National Trainers 56
active and in training Instructor Members 3,154
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Active and in training Instructor Members March 2019
North East England
North West England
72
Total
1,992
197
Yorkshire & the Humber
194
East Midlands
West Midlands
271
122
166
East of England
169
Other 1
South West England
London
365
269
167
South East England
North East England
Total
91
2
North West England
5
Yorkshire & the Humber
8
7
West Midlands
12
5
Other1
East Midlands
5
East of England
London
South West England
6
34
7
South East England
1. Other is the number of Instructor Members who do not currently live in England
19
North East England
Total
174
8
North West England
9
Yorkshire & the Humber
20
24
3
West Midlands
22
Other1
East Midlands
East of England
14
London
South West England
34
22
18
South East England
North East England
19
North West England
Total
897
118
Yorkshire & the Humber
83
West Midlands
76
55
66
East Midlands
East of England
Other¹
81
London
South West England
206
128
65
South East England
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Andy Reeve Associate Instructor Member, East of England
"I became an MHFA England instructor because it fits with my personal mission. That is to help people spot the signs and symptoms of mental ill health in themselves and in others. This enables early action to address the issues. I learnt many life-altering techniques to help me recover and stay well when I experienced severe depression. Having to become ill before learning
how to stay mentally healthy made no sense to me at all. I’m convinced that an early Mental Health First Aid intervention would have prevented me from becoming so unwell. Delivering MHFA England courses means I am equipping people with the tools to support others and to help keep themselves mentally fit. Which means equipping people to change lives."
Jessica Agudelo National Trainer, London
"I worked in health psychology and decided to train as an MHFA England instructor in 2008 after I attended an Adult MHFA Two Day course. I admired the course because it was simple in language. It was accessible to people from all walks of life. It challenged social and cultural norms around mental health and I left feeling inspired.
I introduced the course within the criminal justice system as part of a community development approach. I trained prison officers, staff, volunteers and inmates together! I now deliver training to people working with vulnerable communities in London, including people experiencing homelessness, substance misuse and physical and mental health needs."
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Karen Shukla Associate Instructor Member, South East England
"I work for the NHS, looking at mental health services and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Through my work it has become more evident that we, as a society, are still not comfortable talking about mental health. I became an MHFA England instructor for various reasons and deliver training in my own time. I want to raise awareness from
a cultural perspective, where the stigma is still very real in some communities. I also come from a personal perspective, with a family member who has bipolar disorder. As an instructor I also gain insight from the people who attend my courses. I enjoy how courses are so varied and rich in the conversations that take place."
Liz Kendrick-Lodge National Trainer, South West England
"I became an MHFA England instructor to reduce the stigma around mental illness. I am passionate about my part to play in increasing mental health literacy. I deliver courses to a whole range of people, including those working in schools, corporate settings and the third sector.
MHFA England training goes beyond raising awareness. It provides clear guidance which is designed to drive real action. This enables real support for someone experiencing a mental health problem. I love seeing the lightbulb moment when people realise they can, in fact, make a very real difference."
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National Trainer
National Trainer case study: Sajda Butt
Sajda Butt shares her journey to becoming a National Trainer for MHFA England. She wants to reduce stigma around mental health among ethnic minority communities. Sajda has over 20 years’ experience of working in early years and family support with underprivileged families living in deprived areas of Birmingham.
Through her role supporting families in challenging situations, Sajda learnt that she needed specific skills to support
people with mental ill health. In July 2016 Sajda accepted a place on an Adult MHFA Two Day course and trained as a Mental Health First Aider.
She felt inspired to become a MHFA England instructor in January 2017. She says: “I felt that MHFA England courses could have a real impact in underprivileged communities. I knew that becoming an instructor was the most effective way to make it happen.” Sajda has a background in delivering evidence-based training.
She says: “The research base of MHFA England courses made them stand out. The training sits on a national and international body of evidence.
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It gives people the knowledge and confidence to talk about mental health. It breaks stigma, whatever setting they’re in.” Sajda has now delivered over 70 courses in Adult and Youth MHFA skills. She has worked with football coaches, teachers and workers who support women who are vulnerable to exploitation, to name a few. Sajda enjoys working with grassroot community organisations because it creates a faster ripple effect and spreads deeper understanding of mental health. She offers some subsidised places on her courses which go to small charities and community groups with an outreach focus. One of the many different organisations Sajda works with is Approachable Parenting, which offers a 5 Pillars of Parenting course to Muslim parents. She has trained 24 parent champions so far in the Adult Mental Health Aware Half Day course. The parent champions are going on to support other parents, start conversations around mental health and help to normalise these topics. Working with the charities Barnardo’s and Spurgeons, Sajda has so far trained 120 family support workers in the Adult MHFA One Day course. Sajda found it alarming to hear about their variety of beliefs around mental health. After training, many workers shared that they better understand their communities. Sajda tries to support organisations in other ways too. She chooses to rent a room from a local charity to deliver her courses in. Sajda says: “Help Harry Help Others is the legacy of an 11-year-old boy. By renting a room from them, I can help raise their profile. It increases their impact supporting young people with cancer and gives back more.” Sajda has also been involved in CCG commissioned research. The team had an invite from Big Lottery to submit a service design for funding, based on the recommendations of the research.
This was to explore why fewer young people from South Asian communities access mental health services. Sajda thinks that language is a key component to the mental health stigma. She says: “There is no direct translation for the term ‘depression’ in Urdu, for example. Usually people use the words ‘weak’ and ‘lazy’ to describe people’s minds instead.” She has organised focus groups for the research and heard that religious fear exists, adding to the stigma. Sajda explains that having a low mood means that you may be possessed by an evil spirit and this can prevent people from talking about how they are feeling. Sajda has created parent advocates through this research so it will leave a legacy of people supporting one another. Sajda herself has lived experience of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She returned to work after six months of leave and had a very negative experience. This led to her choosing to make a change and leaving her job shortly afterwards. She references her real-life experience whilst delivering MHFA England courses which helps her to connect with the people she trains. Sajda delivers MHFA England training with a mix of warmth, connection, professionalism and integrity. She loves that the training can change people’s mindsets around mental health. There is a realisation that there is help and hope out there. Sajda became a National Trainer for MHFA England at the end of 2018 and will run her first Instructor Training programme in June 2019. She says: “I am looking forward to using my mentoring and supervision skills in this role. I love developing people. I want to represent the communities we serve. That is the driving force for me to becoming a National Trainer. This is so important to reduce stigma around mental health.”
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In the workplace We want to transform how workplaces of all shapes and sizes think about mental health and wellbeing.
Most adults spend at least a third of their time at work. At any given time, one in six working age adults have symptoms associated with mental ill health 1 . In the UK, mental ill health is responsible for 72 million working days lost and costs employers £34.9 billion each year 2 . These are significant productivity and financial costs to business.
We want a society where everyone can thrive. We will create a network of mental health aware and Mental Health First Aid skilled people in workplaces across the country. Healthier, happier workplaces are more productive and have a better impact on society. Since 2011 we have worked with over 20,000 workplaces, from local hairdressers to global corporations.
1 in 6 working age adults have symptoms associated with mental ill health
£34.9 billion cost of mental ill health to employers each year
72 million working days lost each year
1. McManus S, Bebbington P, Jenkins R, Brugha T. Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. Leeds; 2016. 2. Centre for Mental Health. Mental health at work: The business costs ten years on. 2017.
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Focusing at board level on mental health and wellbeing, in management and workplace culture, is the right way to do business. We want all leaders and managers to take active steps to support their employees’ mental health. We can generate a significant impact in the workplace and beyond by creating a culture of wellbeing at work. The impact on employees ripples out to their friends and family, and everyone they have contact with. We can work directly with large organisations in diverse sectors from professional services and law, to councils and healthcare. We get to know every organisation to understand how they support their employee wellbeing and mental health currently.
We learn their motivations for introducing MHFA England training into the workplace, and what their vision is for their workplace culture. We discuss how our training can fit into this journey and provide tailored support to implement MHFA England training. This could be how to engage the workplace in the training or how to maintain a focus of wellbeing in workplace culture going forwards, for example. In this last year we worked directly with 364 different organisations. Our Associate Instructor Members delivered 1,160 MHFA England courses into these workplaces. Our network of independent Instructor Members delivered our courses into many more workplaces.
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Stu Skinner , Expedition Leader, and Josh Bulpin , Head of Leader Management and Training, World Challenge
World Challenge is the leading provider of youth expeditions in the country. There are over 280 teams overseas during the peak summer period. Expedition Leader Stu Skinner found himself supporting a teenage girl who was experiencing anorexia. This prompted him to investigate Mental Health First Aid training. He soon trained as a MHFA England instructor. This started his work toward creating an important shift within the expedition industry. In 2018 alongside Stu, World Challenge committed to train all its Expedition Leaders as Mental Health First Aiders. Stu has run 21 courses to date and trained 194 Expedition Leaders. The response has been very positive.
Josh Bulpin is Head of Leader Management and Training. He has seen how Leaders respond more effectively during mental health incidents. He says: “There has been a positive impact on the wellbeing and expedition experience for both the leaders and youth.” Stu is proud of the barriers that the training has broken down. He says: “MHFA England training has allowed Leaders a space to talk candidly about mental health. They can share their stories in a way they’ve not had the opportunity to do so before.” He has also trained operational response staff and other members of the World Challenge team. Stu and World Challenge are looking forward to the summer expedition season and are planning to start measuring the impact of MHFA England training.
Alan Millbrow , Head of Wellbeing & Recognition, Three UK
“Mental Health First Aid is an essential part of our wellbeing strategy. Over 210 people across our retail and core functions have attended the Adult MHFA Two Day course. We call our Mental Health First Aiders ‘Time to Talk Reps’ and backed up by engagement activity, they have had an immediate positive impact on our people. Our recent employee
engagement survey highlighted this - the number one reason for positive feeling towards wellbeing was our ‘Time to Talk Reps’. We are keen to continue breaking down barriers and are looking forward to building upon our successful partnership with MHFA England in the years to come.”
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Harrods , department store
“Harrods have invested in the Adult MHFA Two Day course for 96 staff. This approach means we have qualified Mental Health First Aiders across all sites. They are on the ground and ready to help if needed. Since introducing Mental Health First Aid to Harrods, we talk about mental health more than ever on our internal communication channels.
We have also enjoyed increased engagement with our wellbeing initiatives. Examples are our wellbeing workshops and bibliotherapy library. Forming a relationship with MHFA England has provided Harrods with a foundation of evidence based practice and consistent messaging. This has played an important part in our Mental Health Strategy going forward.”
Tricia O’Neill , Head of Occupational Health & Wellbeing and H&S Education and Competence, Skanska UK
“Over the past four years MHFA England instructors have trained 1,500 people in Skanska UK. They are from all areas of our business; from construction sites and highways, to hospitals, schools and offices. 365 of these people have stepped up and become part of our MHFA network. They provide support for their colleagues and are integral to our health and wellbeing proposition. All our executive and senior management team have attended the Adult Mental Health Aware Half Day course. This is a foundation to growing their mental health literacy. It helps them to consider the potential impact it has on our business.
The training has raised the topic of common mental health issues. It has increased awareness about the scope of support we provide our people to maintain their wellbeing. It has also developed people’s confidence to start a conversation and signpost those that need support. We have a strong connection with MHFA England and we hope this continues in the future. We want to ensure that all our people have a common understanding of good mental health and wellbeing. We want to support our people taking steps to a sustainable lifestyle.”
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In higher education Students can be particularly vulnerable to mental ill health. It’s estimated that 75% of all mental health issues develop by age 18 1 .
This means that university years coincide with the peak age of onset. Transitioning to and moving through student life can present many challenges impacting on wellbeing. They include housing, relationships, academic work, employment pressures and changes to lifestyle. Students and staff need to be prepared to look after their own and others’ wellbeing. They also need practical skills to deal with mental health issues. We launched our Higher Education MHFA One Day course back in 2017. It was created for the higher education community, in collaboration with Student Minds, the UK’s student mental health charity.
16 universities piloted the course. The University of Chester evaluated the course during the pilot stage. The course gives a deeper understanding of the issues that relate to student and staff mental health.
Julie Castleman, National Trainer, South West England
“I became an MHFA England instructor in 2015. I wanted to join a movement raising awareness of mental health to reduce stigma. MHFA England courses give people confidence in providing initial help to those experiencing poor mental health. It’s key that they do this whilst also being mindful of their own wellbeing.
I have experience working in university counselling and mental health services. I remain passionate about working within the higher education sector. I enjoy delivering courses for universities and student accommodation providers. It’s exciting to witness a positive change in attitudes and the understanding of mental health.”
1. Davies SC. Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer 2013, Public Mental Health Priorities: Investing in the Evidence. 2014.
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Youth artwork competition
Creativity, courage and community: my mental health journey People’s unique stories bring our
courses to life, help to break down stigma and deepen society’s understanding of mental health. We launched a competition to find art by young people with lived experience of mental health issues.
Dan Hill - Depressed
Lauren Asad - Imprisonment
Will Marchant - Stress #1
Dan Hill - Intrusive Internalisation
Kameron Conley - Vicious Cycle
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In our communities
Partnership in action MHFA England is working in partnership with West Midlands
Combined Authority (WMCA) to improve mental health in the region. Sarah Barge is Regional Development Coordinator for MHFA England. Her role is to help both MHFA England and the WMCA achieve their objectives and improve the mental health of the local population. WMCA is the lead of the West Midlands Thrive Mental Health Commission. Its aim is to address and improve the society-wide causes of mental health. One of the priorities is to increase community involvement. The ambition is to train up to 500,000 people in Mental Health First Aid, or other equivalent programmes, over ten years. So far, the total has reached over 31,000 people trained. We are collaborating with WMCA on Thrive into Work, a workplace wellbeing programme. Employers sign up to take part in the accreditation programme. MHFA England training helps them to provide good mental health support in their workplaces. So far, over 270 organisations have signed up, giving a reach of over 108,000 employees. There is a joint MHFA England and WMCA initiative. The aim is to train 5,000 sport and physical activity staff and volunteers in mental health awareness and first aid skills by the start of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022. By working together MHFA England and WMCA can have a more coordinated impact and promote shared goals of better mental health in the West Midlands.
Both organisations have also signed up to #21by21. This is an initiative by the Sport for Development Coalition and is partnered by a wide range of organisations including national sports charities StreetGames and the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust. It is campaigning to train 21,000 sports coaches in mental health awareness by 2021.
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Community giveback In 2018-19 we gave away £23,975 of training. This was through the delivery of 14 courses which reached 188 people. We also run free taster courses. These allow people to try our training, so they can encourage its uptake in their organisation. Last year we ran eight Youth MHFA Two Day courses, 16 Adult MHFA Two Day courses and one Higher Education MHFA One Day course. Through these taster courses we reached over 300 people. Reaching more people with our training helps to reduce stigma around mental health.
Dawn Mitchell National Trainer, Yorkshire and the Humber, tells us how we can mobilise our sporting infrastructures to increase mental health awareness:
“I’ve worked across the sports sector from elite, Olympic athletes to grass roots community groups. I’ve seen the power of sport in many forms. Coaches and volunteers assist participation in sport at every level. They have a key role to play in promoting and supporting participant, player and athlete wellbeing.
I’ve seen the direct impact of MHFA England training across the sport sector in recent years. The training gives coaches and volunteers the confidence to start a conversation about mental health. I can see real change happening in many areas of the sporting world. There is a reduction in stigma and a growth in compassion and awareness.”
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National schools programme 98% of teachers have contact with pupils who they believe are experiencing mental health issues 1 . Our training helps teachers to know how to open conversations about mental health and where to signpost to. It also supports teachers to look after their own wellbeing. The national Youth MHFA in Schools programme launched in June 2017, following a commitment from Prime Minister Theresa May. The aim was to train at least one member of staff in every secondary school in Youth MHFA over a three year period. The Youth MHFA in Schools programme was funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. MHFA England was contracted to deliver training in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Over this period we have trained 2,753 members of staff in our Youth MHFA
One Day course, qualifying them as MHFA Champions. The members of staff came from 2,040 schools.
Researchers from University College London evaluated the first year of the Youth MHFA in Schools programme. The study involved over 1,000 school staff and found that after the training, staff reported around a three fold (190%) increase in confidence in knowledge, skills and awareness to support a young person struggling with their mental health. Before taking Youth MHFA training, only 30% of staff reported feeling knowledgeable, skilled and aware to support a young person experiencing mental ill health. After acquiring Youth MHFA skills, 59% of staff said they felt highly knowledgeable, aware and confident to support a young person. This increased to 87% up to three terms later, highlighting a sustained improvement as staff put their skills into practice and had time to reflect on their training 2 .
98% 87% of teachers said they have contact with pupils who they believe are experiencing mental health issues of teachers said they felt highly knowledgeable, aware and confident to support a young person up to three terms after training
London schools programme We are proud of our partnership with Thrive LDN and the London schools programme, through which we have trained over 100 Youth MHFA England instructors so far. The Youth MHFA in London schools programme launched in August 2018. It aims to provide every primary school, secondary school and further education college in London with access to Youth MHFA training by 2021. The new instructors have already delivered 40 Youth MHFA Two Day courses between January and March 2019.
They will continue to deliver Youth MHFA England courses to over 2,000 school staff. University College London has been commissioned as the academic partner and will explore the impact of the training on schools and young people. The Youth MHFA in London schools programme continues the Mayor’s drive to help and support children and young people to fulfil their potential, with a focus on improving the mental health and wellbeing of all young Londoners.
1. National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) Teachers' poll 2017 2. Robert-Holmes G, Mayer S, Jones P & Lee SF. Evaluation of Phase One of the Youth MHFA in Schools programme: "The training has given us a vocabulary to use". UCL Institute of Education. 2018.
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North East 47
North West 164
Yorkshire and The Humber 79
West Midlands 81
East Midlands 83
East of England 81
London 249
South East 129
South West 75
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Stacey Edmead-Payne Children’s Mental Health Improvement Officer, Ealing Local Authority
“I secured funding for Youth MHFA One Day training for schools in Ealing. We achieved 95% of schools trained and the feedback was outstanding. One person said, “If it isn’t already, it should be part of all teacher training.” The training is making a huge impact across the borough. It challenges stigma and gives school staff the confidence to have important conversations with children and young people. One teacher said she was able to pick up the phone and call a parent
about their son’s mental health and talk about local support that might be useful. Before the training this may have not happened until the case was meeting child protection thresholds. The training has been crucial in developing school mental health leads. We now have a mental health network in Ealing for all school leads and Mental Health First Aiders in the borough. They can share best practice and talk about how MHFA fits into the whole school approach to mental health.”
Lyndsy Killip Deputy Head Teacher, Queen’s Park Primary School
“Ben Commins, the headteacher, and I have both trained as Adult MHFA instructors. As leaders in the school we face challenging circumstances from our staff, parents and children. After the training we understood how valuable breaking down stigma is. The training has given me tools that can support both children and staff. We have now embedded common practice and language to enable the children to talk about mental health and help them feel safe and happy. They know who can help them and the services available to them. We have
a whole school approach to mental health. There are opportunities for all children to have someone to talk to because all members of staff are Mental Health First Aid trained. There are also several positive interventions available, including volunteering opportunities and emotional literacy support. We have other initiatives too such as neuroscience through ‘Mind Up,’ counselling services for parents and staff, and the Healthy Workplace Charter Excellence award. Going forward we want to train and support other schools to become mentally healthy.”
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