HSE Publishes Updated First Aid Guidance to Include Mental Health

As part of their commitment to enhancing work-place mental health, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have updated their online first-aid guidance to include a section on managing mental health conditions.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published the updated online guidance to help employers support staff experiencing a mental health issue.

The HSE’s updated first aid guidance states companies should consider appropriate ways to “manage mental ill health in the workplace”.

According to the guidance, this could include providing information or training for managers and employees, employing occupational health professionals, appointing mental health-trained first aiders and implementing employee support programmes.

The updated guidance comes after businesses and trade unions including the CWU wrote letters to the Prime Minister which called for a change in the law to protect mental health in the workplace. The letters were co-ordinated by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England and specifically called on ministers to amend health and safety legislation to put mental and physical first aid on an equal footing.

The new guidance is a result of the government looking to ensure that everyone has the same opportunity to progress in the workplace and achieve their potential, including those with mental health conditions, and follows the recommendations from the government commissioned ‘Stevenson-Farmer’ Report.

The HSE guidance suggests that following an employer’s first-aid needs assessment, it may be decided that it would be beneficial to have someone trained to identify and understand symptoms, and be able to support someone who might be experiencing a mental health issue. They advise on methods in which mental health can be managed in the workplace and how the method can vary dependent on the business. These methods can range from:

• providing information and training;
• employing an occupational health professional;
• appointing mental health trained first-aiders; and
• implementing employee support programmes.

Mental Health First-Aid training courses teach people how to recognise warning signs of mental ill health, and develop skills to approach and support someone, whilst also keeping the first-aider safe. The HSE hopes their guidance will help employers to better understand the need to consider mental health with physical health when undertaking a needs assessment.

The new HSE guidance is an important step towards supporting workers mental health but clearly that equality will only truly be reached when the law demands that every workplace must make provision for mental, as well as physical, first aid.

We look forward to achieving legislative change so that Health and Safety Regulations are designed to protect our whole health, mental and physical.

Mental Health First Aiders are a catalyst for engagement, helping to provide workers with the confidence to come forward and seek support at their time of need.

The HSE’s new guidance is a welcome step forward, but legislative change is needed if we want to see real progress across society. It’s essential that every workplace has access to first aid support for both mental and physical health.

St. John Ambulance has also welcomed the HSE news, releasing a statement which read: “St. John Ambulance firmly believes that taking care of our own and one another’s mental wellbeing, whether it’s managing stress, depression or another condition, is as important as looking after physical illness. As a practical starting point, employers can ensure they have an appropriate number of trained mental health first aiders among their workforces and for the last 18 months, St. John Ambulance has been helping them to do this.”

In a survey by the health-tech firm ‘Mynurva’ it has found that 32% of all UK adults in full-time employment have suffered from mental health problems in the workplace. Of those people who have suffered from mental health in the workplace, over a third (37%) have never sought any professional help for their mental health problems and 44% have never disclosed their issues to a manager at work. Mynurva’s research shines a light on just how many people in full-time work across the UK are suffering in silence with their mental health problems and clearly, workers still live in fear of what will happen to their jobs and colleague relationships if they were to open up about the problems they are facing, and this is a serious concern.

The updated HSE on-line first aid needs assessment guidance is attached along with HSE Guide L74.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

19LTB109 HSE Publishes Updated First Aid Guidance to Include Mental Health

First Aid At Work H

SE – First Aid Needs Assessment

Unit Representative Briefings – Signer Assistance

Further to LTB 046/19 advising of the upcoming Unit Representative Briefings that will be taking place over the next few weeks, it would be greatly appreciated if Branches could advise as soon as possible if they have delegates attending who require assistance with auditory interpretation to contact Chris Webb, Head of Communications, who will make the necessary arrangements for a Signer(s) to attend the event.

For ease of reference, please find below the best contact details.

Chris Webb, Head of Communications, Engagement and Media
Email: cwebb@cwu.org

Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department.

Yours sincerely,

Terry Pullinger
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

19LTB108 Unit Representative Briefings – Signer Assistance

Unit Representative Briefings – London Division – Change of Meeting Date

Further to LTB 046/19, due to unforeseen circumstances the London Divisional Representative Briefing scheduled for Friday 1st March 2019 has been postponed. This meeting has been rescheduled and will now take place on Tuesday 16th April 2019.

The details of the meeting are as previously advised (11am until 3pm) and arrangements for the venue are currently being finalised. Colleagues will be notified of the venue as soon as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to Branches and Representatives.

Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department.

Yours sincerely,

Terry Pullinger
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

19LTB107 Unit Representative Briefings – London Division – Change of Meeting Date

View Online

PROCESSING RESOURCE REALIGNMENT ACTIVITY

Branches and representatives are informed that the department has been made aware of documentation that has emanated from Cardiff Mail Centre that relates to a managerial proposal regarding Resource Realignment activity.

The contents of the documentation have raised concern as they could be construed as suggesting that an aspirational efficiency saving had been agreed for the coming year, or that realignment activity should seek to achieve predetermined outcomes based on what the business see as budgetary challenges.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Four Pillars agreement and the subsequently agreed Realignment and Resourcing documents establish that resourcing activity should be based on the effective alignment of resource to workload and not on budget or business plan savings.

In addition, reference is made in the documentation to throughput figures, WIPGH, productivity and recruitment practices. Again Branches and representatives will be aware that these issues are the subject of specific commitments in the Four Pillars agreement and discussions are currently taking place at National level.

For information the department has raised the issues associated with the documentation with the business at National level and are awaiting a response.

For clarity however the agreed principles and processes associated to Resource Realignment activity within Mail Centres, RDC’s and WBC’s continue to hold the field (LTB’s 374/18 and 720/18 refer). Colleagues will be aware that for ease of reference the department has also circulated Resourcing Booklets to all Branches, Divisional and Processing/RDC/WBC Representatives which include all of the relevant agreements associated to Resourcing and Realignment activity.

The CWU remain fully committed to the Four Pillars agreement and as such colleagues are requested to utilise these agreed resources to ensure that any realignment activity adheres fully to the Nationally agreed principles and processes.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be addressed to Davie Robertson, Assistant Secretary, email: dwyatt@cwu.org or shayman@cwu.org quoting reference number: 733.02

Yours sincerely

Davie Robertson

Assistant Secretary

19LTB102

If you are a member of the CWU and a fully paid up member of the Labour Party before 1st August 2018, and live in the Peterborough Constituency Labour Party area don’t forget to attend the hustings meeting on Wednesday 20th February 1930 start in the Gallery Suite at the Cresset, Rightwell East, Bretton, Peterborough, PE3 8DX. You will need your Labour Party Membership Card to gain entry.

This will be your chance to select the next Labour Party, Perspective Parliamentary Candidate.

The Eastern Number Five Branch supports Lisa Forbes

Andy Beeby

Branch Secretary

CWU Eastern Number Five Branch