Teresa May shining the spotlight on Mental Health at Work - Jan 2017

In a speech on 9th January 2017 Teresa May, Prime Minister, announced a number of measures in a bid to improve and transform mental health support in our schools and workplaces.

Statistics suggest that 1 in 4 people will experience mental ill-health at some point in their lifetimes and Teresa May has criticised the current UK’s position in relation to mental health support stating:

“For too long mental illness has been something of a hidden injustice in our country, shrouded in a completely unacceptable stigma and dangerously disregarded as a secondary issue to physical health,”

Among a number of pledges the Prime Minister plans to improve and increase the support and resource available to employees with mental ill-health in the workplace. To do so, Lord Stevenson and Paul Farmer, CEO of mental health charity Mind will carry out a review on improving support in the workplace . Paul Farmer stated “Farmer said: “Mental health has been on the periphery for too long. Mind welcomes the announcements around a focus on prevention in workplaces and support for people in crisis.”

The measures were announced as part of the annual spending commitment of £1bn and will also include £15m towards extra community health support and a further £67m invested in a new digital mental health platform which allows individuals to check their mental health symptoms and access digital therapy.

The focus on improving mental health support in businesses is welcome for many, as the effects of mental ill-health cost companies greatly each year. However the initiatives that evolve from the review are yet to be known. Tamar HR will update you in due course as these are announced and rolled out. We are advising a number of our clients on proactive steps that can be taken to improve staff wellbeing and raise awareness of mental health within the workplace.

If you would like to discuss these issues and how they affect you or your business, please feel free to contact a member of the Tamar HR team.