Tes’ mental health columnist Natasha Devon delivered a petition to Downing Street today in a bid to tackle adult mental health problems.
The petition, which is part of Ms Devon’s “Where’s Your Head At” campaign, calls for the government to make it compulsory to have a mental health firs- aider in UK workplaces. The petition has almost 200,000 signatures, the backing of Bauer Media and was set up in association with Mental Health First Aid England.
Business are currently obligated to provide medical first-aiders, and Ms Devon is calling on Sarah Newton, the minister of state for disabled people, health and work, to update the Health and Safety At Work Act to extend this to include mental health first-aiders.
“If the law is changed, I don’t expect it will magically make schools a less stressful place to work, but I do think it will have a dramatic, positive impact on culture and attitudes,” Ms Devon wrote her Tes column. “After all, the first thing one learns on a mental health first-aid course is that mental health exists on a spectrum, around which we may shift throughout our lives.”
Mental health problems at work
Around one in six people will experience a mental health problem in the workplace, but recovery and management of a mental illness is entirely possible, if the right support is in place, she says.
Speaking to Tes today, she said: “Our research shows up to 50 per cent of people who have taken time off for a mental health issue told their boss it was for a different reason. If someone is physically ill, we understand that it’s not their fault, that recovery/management is possible and that with the right support they can continue to be an asset at work.
“Despite all the great awareness raising that’s been happening, we don’t yet have the same understanding when it comes to mental health. To address this, we need structural change. This change in law will be a step towards the parity of esteem the government have been promising us since 2011.”
The campaign has received widespread support from celebrities, politicians and the media.
To sign the petition, please click here.
