On 10 October 2024, World Mental Health Day, England's leading first aid charity St John Ambulance joined global calls for organisations to prioritise mental health first aid in the workplace.

The official theme this year is Mental Health at Work. The latest World Health Organisation (WHO) figures reveal an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety globally.1

The WHO's data remind us of the importance of focusing on mental health at work, with figures showing 60% of the global population are currently in work, and 15% of working-age adults estimated to have suffered a mental health disorder in 2019.

Lisa Sharman, Head of Education & Commercial Training at St John Ambulance, said: ‘First-responder care is often associated with accidents or sudden medical emergencies, but mental health today is very much a first-aid issue, and one that's as complex as physical health.

‘There is a gap across England in the understanding of how first aid applies to mental health - but research shows it is becoming a more frequent and urgent workplace concern.

‘Mental health first aid is relevant to all workplaces - safe, healthy working environments across industries can promote good mental health and support employees with mental health issues.

‘Poor working environments pose a significant risk to mental health. These risks can range from excessive workloads to unhealthy working conditions, discrimination, burnout and more.

‘In the workplace, there is still a great deal of ignorance around how to recognise mental illness, and how to react when faced with it. This means that those in need of mental health help and support may not receive it.

‘By failing to respond appropriately to an employee with a mental health issue, an organisation may open itself to a claim for compensation. This could be lengthy, expensive, and take precious time away from managers and staff.'

St John Ambulance provides a range of Mental Health First Aid training courses that adopt a uniquely practical approach to creating competent and confident workplace first aiders.

From Mental Health Awareness to Manager training, e-learning modules, Workplace First Aider and Workplace First Responder courses, St John Ambulance helps workers spot the signs and respond to the needs of a person experiencing a mental health issue.

Employers have a legal duty of care to ensure that employees are provided with a safe working environment. They must take reasonable care to prevent personal injury (including mental or physical harm) that may arise in the workplace.

For more information, employers can visit https://www.sja.org.uk/courses/.

For BDJ Team's article collection on Mental Health and Wellbeing, visit https://www.nature.com/collections/higbjbdccd.