Rotherham Public Health Annual Report This is the fourth of a 12 part series from Rotherham’s Director of Public Health, and the first time the Public Health report has been produced directly for the public. For more information, or if you have any comments, please contact the Rotherham Director of Public Health, Dr John Radford, on john.radford@rotherham.nhs.uk
Mental Health First Aid Background Mental ill health is a growing public health concern in the UK. Statistics show that one in six of the general population will have a common mental health problem at any one time and the World Health Organisation forecasts that by 2020 depression will be the second leading contributor to the global burden of disease.
Why is this an issue for Rotherham? NHS Rotherham has recently received funding from the Big Lottery programme for a five year project called Mind Your Own Business which is aimed at promoting mental health in the workplace. It is estimated that work related stress affects about one in five workers and that work related mental ill health accounts for more days off than any other cause of work related illness. Nationally, this can cost employers up to £26 billion a year in terms of sickness absence, increased staff turnover and reduced productivity. In addition to this there are large numbers of people suffering from mental ill health that are out of work. In Rotherham there are over 14,000 people claiming incapacity benefits. Up to 40% of these claimants will be claiming for a mental health problem. Research shows that up to 40% of employers say that they would not employ someone with a mental illness. This is despite people with mental health problems having the highest “want to work rate” with up to 90% of those currently out of work wanting to work.
What are we doing in Rotherham? The overall aim of the Mind Your Own Business project is to improve the mental well being of people and communities through targeted work with employers. This work will help employers to promote mental well-being and reduce levels of stress and mental ill health within the workplace. It will also help to tackle some of the stigma and discrimination that is often related to mental health. If you want to find out more for your business, see the contact details below. The project offers practical advice, consultation and training to both large and small employers to enable them to look at their policies and procedures in relation to promoting good mental health and the management of mental health problems if they develop. One element of this is the Mental Health First Aid initiative, which is an evidence-based training programme that aims to raise awareness of common mental health problems and provide practical skills to help those experiencing mental distress and to guide them towards appropriate professional help. To date, 240 people have been trained in Rotherham.
Further information To find out more about Mind Your Own Business or Mental Health First Aid, contact Jess Wilson on 01709 302727 or Ruth Fletcher-Brown on 01709 302090