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Mental health charity, Mind, has created a framework to guide emergency service workers to adopt proactive, preventative measures that keep people healthy and better equip employers to create an environment where employees can thrive.
A 2023 survey carried out by Mind found that 28 per cent of emergency responders reported that their mental health had got worse over the last year. The same survey also found that 38 per cent of emergency responders would feel uncomfortable speaking to their employer about their mental health.
We know that stigma remains one of the reasons emergency responders don’t seek mental health support from their employers. In our latest survey, when asked, ‘Compared to a year ago, how do you feel about stigma relating to mental health among emergency responders?’ 54 per cent said that it’s about the same, while 15 per cent said they felt there was more stigma.
Findings were also mixed when it came to how supported people feel by their workplace with regards to their mental health. For example, while 28 per cent of people feel more supported than a year ago, just under a fifth of respondents (17 per cent) feel less supported.
Implementing policy and practice changes
Promoting good mental health and adapting policies and practices to suit the needs of your teams can help prevent staff from reaching crisis point. It is paramount that services prioritise the mental health of their employees, and focus on introducing proactive, preventative measures that keep people healthy. It is important to both help staff manage their wellbeing day-to-day and look at how you will support them when they become unwell. How can you begin to tackle those stigmas and create real change?
That’s where the Mental Health at Work Commitment can help. Designed for organisations of all sizes from all sectors, it is a simple framework and a journey that takes you through how to achieve them and builds on what we know about good workplace wellbeing – so it’s the only roadmap you need to follow to achieve better mental health at work.
The Commitment is underpinned by six standards. These standards are based on what best practice has shown is needed to make a difference, and to better equip employers to create an environment where employees can thrive.
Over the last 18 months, 93 per cent of police, fire and ambulance services have signed up to the Mental Health at Work Commitment.
Signing up to the Commitment is just the beginning of a journey to improve mental health support in emergency services, but now it is beginning to make a real difference to staff working on the frontline. 60 per cent of respondents in our latest survey said their employer had implemented new initiatives, activities, or support for mental health in the workplace since signing up to the Mental Health at Work Commitment. But this is just the start. Providing good mental health support to your staff is an ongoing process and the Mental Health at Work Commitment and Mind are here to support you on your journey.
“Signing up to the Mental Health at Work Commitment has helped us reaffirm our dedication and passion for the long-term mental health and wellbeing of our staff. It has also provided us with a useful framework which has encouraged us to review our mental health strategy and implement new changes.”
Andrew Stephen Station Manager and Mental Health Lead – Cleveland Fire Service.
The Commitment is essentially a self-serving initiative. Once you’ve signed up, you’ll automatically enrol into an email programme which walks you through the six standards and how to successfully implement them where you work. You can also use our Interactive Guide, which recommends the most suitable guidance and quality-assured resources for you. You’ll be able to download a pre-populated, editable spreadsheet, allowing you to work through the standards at your own pace, in a way that works for you and your organisation.
Visit our Mental Health at Work emergency services toolkit for advice about how to support the mental health of your staff, sign the Mental Health at Work Commitment and explore the Interactive Guide and resources.
Tell your staff, volunteers or colleagues about the Blue Light Together website – to provide a clear, accessible, and supportive path to wellbeing for the whole Blue Light community.
This article appeared in the October 2023 issue of Emergency Services Times and has been updated.
