{"id":49380,"date":"2018-11-23T10:27:21","date_gmt":"2018-11-23T10:27:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=49380"},"modified":"2018-11-23T12:28:39","modified_gmt":"2018-11-23T12:28:39","slug":"mental-health-first-aid-workplace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/health-safety-news\/mental-health-first-aid-workplace\/49380\/","title":{"rendered":"Research reveals issues with workplace Mental Health First Aid"},"content":{"rendered":"

New research by the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has shed new light on mental health training in the workplace<\/h2>\n

The feasibility study led by\u00a0University of Nottingham researchers \u2014 funded by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)<\/a> \u2014 found both positives and areas for concern regarding ‘Mental Health First Aid’ (MHFA).<\/p>\n

Researchers found inadequate boundaries for employees and a lack of proof that MHFA is effective.<\/p>\n

The report adds to an existing body of evidence which reports MHFA\u00a0to be highly effective at increasing\u00a0knowledge and confidence in understanding and talking about mental health.<\/p>\n

The research comes days after a plea was issued to Government for \u2018MHFA to become mandatory.<\/p>\n

Principal investigator Professor Avril Drummond, from the School of Health Sciences at The University of Nottingham, said:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found examples of excellent practice in rolling out the mental health<\/a> first aid training where there were clearly strategies in place to support staff who felt confident in their role.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, we also found examples where staff felt unsupported and where, for example, they had co-workers contacting them outside working hours: there were significant issues around lack of clarity with boundaries and potential safety concerns for the trained person.\u201d<\/p>\n

The research team investigated the implementation, use and utility of MHFA in workplaces, surveying people from 81 UK organisations, 89.9% of whom had taken part in MHFA training and also conducted interviews with key workplace representatives.<\/p>\n

Fionuala\u00a0Bonnar, Chief Operating Officer, Mental Health First Aid England<\/a> said:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cWe welcome this new study into the effectiveness of Mental Health First Aid training in the workplace.<\/p>\n

“Time and time again Mental Health First Aid is shown to be effective in increasing knowledge, confidence and skills necessary to support someone with mental health issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s encouraging to see\u00a0that this latest piece of research adds to\u00a0our evidence base and the report\u00a0recommends\u00a0that more could be done to strengthen the boundaries of a Mental Health First Aider in the workplace.<\/p>\n

“This is something we will\u00a0enhance\u00a0as part of our\u00a0existing\u00a0course content and supporting materials\u00a0and we will also be launching a refresher training course in early 2019 to ensure that skills are\u00a0kept up to date\u00a0at regular intervals.”<\/p>\n

Duncan Spencer, Head of Advice and Practice at IOSH, said:<\/p>\n

\u201cMental Health First Aid has become a prominent way of training individuals to recognise signs and symptoms of mental health problems and to select appropriate responses. But how successful is it in the workplace? What impact does it have?<\/p>\n

\u201cIOSH calls for a \u2018prevention first\u2019 approach incorporating MHFA as part of an organisation\u2019s overall efforts to protect their workforce from mental health problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cAppointing staff in a volunteer capacity to support colleagues with mental health problems must be part of a bigger management system including preventative controls to remove or reduce risks.”<\/p>\n

Where MHFA is used well in workplaces, the researchers identified several \u2018active ingredients\u2019 for success. These include:<\/p>\n