First Aid - Mental Health

The subject of mental health first aid is becoming increasingly prevalent amongst businesses; the latest UK HSE report from 2021 show that the total of those suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety has continued to increase year on year; in part, this is due to the pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is estimated that out of a total of 822, 000 reported cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2020/21, an estimated 449,000 were caused or made worse by the effects of the pandemic. In addition, work-related mental health problems made up 50% of all work-related ill health cases. With figures continuing to rise, mental health in the workplace is obviously something that needs to continue to be addressed. Mental health first aid courses were first developed in Australia; the UK’s Department of Health launched MHFA (Mental Health First Aid) England in 2007 which accredits first aid training courses relating to mental health.

A parliamentary debate was held in January 2019 around the subject of mental health in the workplaces with the outcome that First Aid regulations need to be updated to ensure that mental health is treated equally to physical health in a workplace environment. There is also the possibility of future law changes to make it mandatory that all businesses to have a member of staff trained as a Mental Health First Aider as well as a physical First Aider.

Mental Health First Aid Course Details

Mental health courses cover a wide spectrum of areas including Stress, Wellbeing and Dementia in a range of workplaces; the most recent statistics from HSE show that public administration, human health and social work and education are the 3 most affected industries for mental health conditions.

These First Aid courses include the following elements:

There are many courses that come under the Mental Health umbrella; some of the most popular are:

• Two-day Mental Health First Aid – this first aid course aims to enable candidates to be able to recognise the signs of mental ill health and to give them the practical skills needed to support somebody experiencing mental health issues. The course also aims to raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and gives successful candidates the successful Mental Health First Aider qualification.
• One-day Mental Health Champion Training – This aims to teach candidates to be a “Champion” in the mental health area, providing support to both management and co-workers. Ideally, an organisation would have Champions at all staffing levels to provide support of all employees.
• One-day Mental Health Awareness – This is a one day first aid course designed to teach candidates to understand what “mental health” is and the legal responsibilities surrounding it in the workplace, as well as the most common mental health problems and how to support different people in different ways. Successful candidates will be classed as an Adult MHFA Champion.
• Two-day Supervising First Aid for Mental Health – This course is aimed at those in supervisory positions in the workplace, including managers, supervisors and leaders. Course content covers the full syllabus of the mental health and first aid courses to ensure candidates can recognise and understand a wide range of mental health conditions and how best to deal with them in an individual case by case manner.

Course Delivery

Different courses last for different durations; some such as the Mental Health Awareness course last for half a day and some over the course of 1-2 days, such as Mental Health First Aid Training and Supervising First Aid for Mental Health.

It is also possible to sit some mental health courses as distance learning options, such as Dementia Awareness and Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty. Please see our available courses for more details below or for more general help or further information please send an enquiry to enquiries@bookmycourse.co.uk. 

Please click here for further information on the First Aid courses we offer.

Related Links

• First Aid Annual Skills Update
• First Aid at Work Courses
• First Aid at Work Requalification Courses