Mental Health Training

Mental Health Training in Oxfordshire

Nurse Instructor

 

Mental Health Matters!


Mental health problems affect around 25% of us in any given year & there may not always be an obvious cause. Issues range from common problems such as depression & anxiety to more rare disorders including PTSD, schizophrenia & bipolar. Mental health is no different from physical health, everybody has it & we all need to take care of it. Mental health problems account for the third biggest cause of absence in the workplace. In 2014-15, stress accounted for 35% of all work-related ill-health cases & 43% of all working days lost due to ill health (HSE, 2015).

 


Poor mental health also causes 1.5 times more lost productivity than absences (Centre for MH, 2010). The financial cost is huge: Mental health associated absences cost UK employers an estimated £26 billion a year, which equates to an average of more than £1,000 per employee (Centre for MH, 2007).


Despite all the good work that’s being done to normalise conversations around mental health, stigma still exists, making it hard for employees to talk openly about their mental wellbeing. It’s vital that more is done to encourage discussions about mental health, between colleagues & also between staff & their managers.


Mental health first aid (MHFA) is the mental health equivalent of a physical first-aid course. By providing participants with the skills & confidence to recognise the signs & symptoms of common mental health issues.  A mental health first aider can effectively guide a person towards the right support. Workplaces need to make adequate provision for employees who are experiencing mental health issues so that they feel able to seek support if & when they need it.


First For Safety Oxfordshire Ltd offers the below 2 options in Accredited Mental Health First Aid Courses for businesses & we come to you on a date & time to best suit your needs.  Our  lovely Instructor Amy is a qualified & extremely experienced Nurse & Mental Health Trainer. Amy is super friendly & has a wonderful, calming disposition.  Amy will ensure to make your training upbeat & interactive.  Get in touch today for availability.



Both courses include:

 

  • Course manuals
  • Workbooks & certificates
  • Prices are the total price

 

L2 First Aid for Mental Health - 1 day (6 hr max)

Min booking 8 learners, max 16

£69 pp reducing to £35 pp + VAT


Cost: £69 pp + VAT for min booking of 8 learners.  Additional learners, up to max 16 are charged at the reduced rate of £35 pp + VAT.


This course is suitable for everyone but has been designed to help employers to provide a positive mental health culture within the workplace and to provide learners with comprehensive knowledge on a range of the most common mental health conditions and the skills to be able to act should a condition be suspected.

Learners undertaking this course will be considered First Aiders for Mental Health and be a point of contact within the workplace to help and support those with a suspected mental health condition.

This course introduces the First Aid for Mental Health Action Plan which allows learners to provide their peers with comprehensive guidance and support for a suspected mental health condition. Learners will be able to provide signposting to professional help and support that person whilst they are receiving professional assistance.

This course also covers the effects of drugs and alcohol and provides learners with the skills and knowledge to assist employers in implementing a positive mental health culture to support employees within a workplace.



A range of subjects are covered, including:


  • What is First Aid for Mental Health?
  • Identifying mental health conditions
  • Providing advice and starting a conversation
  • Drugs and alcohol
  • First Aid for Mental Health action plan
  • First Aid for Mental Health in the workplace


Certification - Valid for 3 yrs:

Upon successful completion of the qualification assessment, Learners will be awarded the Ofqual regulated Level 2 Award in First Aid for Mental Health. This qualification is valid for three years from the date of achievement.  The learner will need to complete the full course again to requalify for a further three years.


Assessment process

The qualification is assessed through both a practical demonstration of the First Aid for Mental Health Action Plan and a multiple-choice question paper. A Level 2 Award in First Aid for Mental Health will be issued to the learner, subject to successful assessment. No external assessors are required.



 


 

L3 Supervising First Aid for Mental Health - 2 Days (12 hr max)

Min booking 8 learners, max 16

£180 pp reducing to £48 pp + VAT


Cost: £180 pp + VAT for min booking of 8 learners.  Additional learners, up to max 16, are charged at the reduced rate of £48 pp + VAT.


This course builds on the Level 2 Award in First Aid for Mental Health and covers a wider range of mental health conditions and goes into detail on the range of therapy and professional support that a person may be given by professional bodies during treatment for a mental health condition.

The course is suitable for all persons within a workplace but is aimed at those who hold a supervisory/managerial level position and who have responsibility for implementing a positive mental health culture and responsibility for First Aid for Mental Health within an organisation.



A range of subjects are covered including:


  • What is First Aid for Mental Health?
  • Identifying mental health conditions
  • Providing advice and starting a conversation
  • Drugs and alcohol
  • First Aid for Mental Health action plan
  • First Aid for Mental Health in the workplace
  • A large range of Mental Health conditions covered in detail


Certification - Valid for 3yrs:

Upon successful completion of the qualification assessment, Learners will be awarded the Ofqual regulated Level 3 Award in Supervising First Aid for Mental Health. This qualification is valid for three years from the date of achievement. The learner will need to complete the full course again to requalify for a further three years.


Assessment process:

Summative practical assessment is ongoing by the instructor each day, along with a written assessment on each day. A Level 3 Award in Supervising First Aid for Mental Health will be issued to the learner, subject to successful assessment. No external assessors are required.



The key thing to look out for when it comes to mental ill-health is changes in an employee’s usual behaviour, such as unusual irritability or tearfulness, sudden loss of confidence or increased sickness absence. Noticing changes in the behaviour of an employee may be the first sign of recognising a mental health issue, which is the first step in accessing the support needed to recover thus reducing sickness.


Case study: Mental Health First Aid at Wellcome

One organisation training staff in MHFA is the medical research charity, the Wellcome Trust. Natasha Gordon, project manager in people and facilities at Wellcome, explains why mental health is a vital part of the charity’s HR strategy.

“At Wellcome, we fund global research to drive reform and advance ideas, with the aim to improve health for everyone. The charity employs 700 staff, including sub-contractors at our office in Euston, London.

“The nature of our work means we take our wellbeing initiatives seriously and are wholly committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of our staff. One way we are demonstrating this commitment is through training staff in mental health first aid. Wellcome has a number of external-facing mental health research funding initiatives and is committed to the same ethos internally."

“Wellcome started offering training in September 2015 and has trained 130 employees so far.”

Why we train our staff in MHFA
“MHFA is part of our broader strategy for wellbeing at Wellcome, with particular focus on prevention, intervention and rehabilitation,” says Gordon.

“All employees at Wellcome are given the opportunity to attend MHFA training sessions.We have found that managers are keen to have the tools which enable them to start a meaningful conversation around mental health with their staff. Generally, middle management can be more difficult to get buy-in from with this type of initiative, so their interest in learning the tools is great progress.

“The results of conversations are all logged confidentially, with details of what signposting was given. This way we can see if there is any common denominating feedback, which we can act on as an employer.”

Results of mental health first-aid training
“After successfully piloting MHFA in September 2015, we now have 90 employees who have completed awareness training and 40 who are fully qualified mental health first aiders. We don’t have a cap on how many employees are trained. So far, we have matched the number of physical first aiders, and many of our physical first aiders have also had MHFA training.

“We ensure the commitment to rolling out MHFA is apparent at every level of the business. While the training is not compulsory, HR colleagues and business partners are strongly advised to also take part in the training, and this extends to our sub-contractors,” says Gordon.

“Support staff play a role, too, with mental health first aiders at the on-site gym, which is run by an external provider. The security team employed directly by us are also trained in MHFA, with at least one security guard on duty at all times. In addition, the staff who work at the Wellcome Collection next door will also be taking the training in the near future."

References:

Business in the Community. Mental health toolkit for employers.

Bupa (2014). “Breaking the silence: Business leaders failing those with MH conditions”. Fifty business leaders and 500 employees both with & without MH conditions were independently surveyed in summer 2014.

Centre for MH (2007). Mental health at work: developing the business case.

Centre for MH (2010). Economic and social costs of mental health problems.

CIPD/Mind (2011). Managing and supporting mental health at work: disclosure tools for managers.

Davies SC (2014). Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer 2013. Public mental health priorities: investing in the evidence. Department of Health.

Health and Safety Executive (2016). Work related stress, anxiety and depression statistics in Great Britain 2014/15.

Metlife (2015). Organisational resilience insights into and practical ideas for building resilience in the workplace.

Mind. Introduction to mentally healthy workplaces.

Mind (2013). YouGov poll commissioned by Mind.
Share by: