FEATURE
“THE NEED TO OPEN UP THE
CONVERSATION AROUND MENTAL ILL HEALTH IN
THE WORKPLACE AND IMPROVE SUPPORT IS
EVIDENT – BUT
HOW CAN IT BE DONE?”
a keynote address at a parliamentary hearing to the MAPPG. The organisation also helped to organise a regional launch of the report for the North West at an event at Salford’s Media City.
Mindfulness promotes the technique of mindfulness as a great way to improve mental health in all environments. They describe the act of mindfulness as ‘a way of engaging with whatever is happening in your life, a way of taking charge, a way of being, that enables you to face the challenges and demands of everyday life, whether simply working, bringing up a family or coping with pain, stress and chronic illness’.
The idea that mindfulness can benefit those in the workplace is being explored by the Mindfulness Initiative; an advocacy project aimed at increasing awareness of how mindfulness can benefit society, and the Mindfulness APPG who recently published their latest report, Mindful Nation UK.
The report aims to address mental health concerns in the areas of education, health, the workplace and the criminal justice system through the application of mindfulness interventions.
Breathwork’s contributed to the report with MD Vidyamala Burch delivering
www.tomorrowshs.com
Colin Duff, Business and Research Manager at Breathworks CIC, commented: “We were delighted with the success of the North West launch of the Mindful Nation UK report. The event was very well attended from across a range of sectors including business, NHS, public health and the emergency services, which is indicative of a widespread thirst for knowledge and the dissemination of best practice when it comes to mindfulness in the workplace, as well as for service users and individuals.”
Speaking about mental wellbeing in the workplace Colin commented: “Breathworks feel that the addition of mindfulness training would be a beneficial and effective practice for any employer to have in the toolbox alongside other measures to support better mental health.
“Mindfulness is relatively easy to incorporate into a daily routine and once mindfulness training has been learnt, it can be a life-long practice, providing an individual with useful wellbeing skills for stress resilience, positive mental health, and physical
condition management.”
AWARENESS AT A PARLIAMENTARY LEVEL The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, who have responded to the government’s pledge to invest in mental health as a ‘step in the right direction’, held a parliamentary reception on mental health on 22nd February. IOSH invited recently- elected MPs and new peers to the event in a bid to promote mental health at work.
Speaking at the event IOSH President Dr Karen McDonnell commented that education, training and awareness needs to be improved for key groups, including policy-makers, managers, GPs and other professionals. The President also called for better designed and managed workplace schemes to pick up the early signs of mental illness.
Dr McDonnell said that employers are already seeing the benefits of developing ‘a culture of care’ by treating mental health at work with the same importance as physical health.
IOSH referenced Glasgow City Council, who saved £4.5million in the first year of an initiative to deal with MSDs and stress, and Leeds Metropolitan University which has seen a 16% reduction in stress- related absences after introducing a scheme to tackle absenteeism.
A PARTING THOUGHT The Mental Health Taskforce and its recommendations have put mental health, both in and out of the workplace, at the fore of public thought, leading to a promising debate about the issue.
Speaking about what we can expect from the future, in relation to mental health services, Vicki Nash, Head of Policy and Campaigns at MIND added: “The taskforce has set out the road map for how things need to change - the challenge now will be in making sure it is delivered. It is the starting point to putting mental health on an equal footing with physical health and getting a fair deal for people with mental health problems.”
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