MHFA England®

** Content warning: Mentions an attempt of suicide ** You may have caught our Chief Executive, Sarah McIntosh, on BBC Radio 5 Live yesterday evening talking to Gordon Smart about the video of Jon Bon Jovi helping a woman in distress on a bridge in Nashville. Hear Sarah's clear advice on what to do in a crisis or when you think someone may be thinking about suicide between 50.08 and 59.43 ➡️ https://lnkd.in/epM7gSds Find out how MHFA England® can support you and your workplace to become more suicide aware, here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eWt5Pw_a #WorldSuicidePreventionDay #SuicidePrevention #JonBonJovi #MentalHealthFirstAid (Image description: A carousel of four slides sharing a quote from Sarah McIntosh, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live. The quote says: "In the case of the woman on the bridge, we can obviously see there’s a clear risk of physical harm to that individual. First and foremost, calling 999 immediately is the first crucial step in these cases, and then continuing to stay near to the person, open up a conversation, and to talk to them whilst you wait for the emergency services is key. "In the video, what you’ll see is that Jon makes an approach to the woman. He stays at a safe distance away from the woman, so she feels safe and not threatened by his approach, and he spent some time talking to her. "He will have listened to her, asked her how she was and if she needed any help, and he would have been non-judgmental in the way that he’s responded to what she was saying, and he would have offered help for the person to get the right level of support. "I think it’s important to recognise that most people who have thoughts of suicide or attempt suicide don’t want to die. They often describe wanting their pain to end, or to stop feeling a particular way, or to stop having thoughts of suicide, so offering to help people to get the support so they don’t feel that way anymore is one of the key steps.")

** Content warning: Mention of suicide ** John Fielding has found his Mental Health First Aider skills invaluable over the years, both in the First Bus workplace and as a community volunteer for Crime Stoppers West Yorkshire. Click here to read how John used his role to support a colleague having thoughts of suicide: https://brnw.ch/21wMCZN #WorldSuicidePreventionDay #SuicidePrevention #MentalHealth #MHFA (Image description: A quote from John Fielding at First Bus says: "Quite soon after I finished my training, a driver came into the depot and asked if he could have a chat. He was signed off work for a little while but when he came back he came straight to see me. He told me I had been his last hope, and as he put it, he was ready to drive his car off a cliff. He said I had saved his life that day by giving him hope and showing him where he could go for support...it just shows, a kind, listening ear really can make all the difference." A yellow ribbon for World Suicide Prevention Day is in the bottom right.)

We are delighted to announce that Sarah McIntosh, our Chief Executive, has been selected as one of several experts who will give advice to Ofsted on its work and make recommendations for improvement. Sarah will be joining the 'Wellbeing of leaders and staff reference group’ alongside notable authorities in the fields of education and mental health support. Read more here ➡️ https://brnw.ch/21wMCRl #Ofsted #BusinessNews #MentalHealth #CultureTransformation

When we’re focused on our day-to-day tasks, it can be hard to spot a team member struggling with their mental health. When your managers can have mental health conversations as part of their everyday leadership, you will see reduced staff absenteeism and higher talent retention. Build their confidence with our Mental Health Knowledge for Managers course 🔗 https://brnw.ch/21wMBlN #LeadershipDevelopment #Business #MentalHealthAwareness #WorkplaceWellbeing

** Content warning: This blog post references suicide and poor mental health ** 💭 What is the biggest misconception about suicide prevention? 💭 Why is it so important for organisations to normalise conversations about mental health and wellbeing? 💭 How can organisations become more suicide aware? In our latest blog post, MHFA England Instructor Member and National Trainer Clive Stevenson pulls from over 40 years of experience to highlight the importance of workplaces removing the stigma around suicide. 🔗 https://brnw.ch/21wMALz #WorldSuicidePreventionDay #WSPD24 #SuicidePrevention #MentalHealthFirstAid #WorkplaceWellbeing (Image description: Two male colleagues are sitting on a sofa talking in an office. Halfway down, a green label from the left says: Community blog. Below, a black panel across the bottom of the image says: Why should organisations become suicide aware? The white MHFA England logo is in the bottom right corner.)

Yesterday, we held an exclusive webinar for MHFA England® Instructor Members to mark World Suicide Prevention Day. Joined by Michelle from Support After Suicide Partnership, Instructor Members were given information about suicide bereavement support, practical signposting, and resources for those impacted by suicide. "The session was clear and delivered sensitively. The content was very relevant to my role as an MHFA England Instructor Member. I will take away the learning and embed this into my courses going forward," one Instructor Member told us. The session was part of the ongoing support and benefits Instructor Members gain access to when they train with us. Learn more about training as an MHFA England Instructor Member to deliver our MHFA® course in your workplace, today: https://brnw.ch/21wMAn9 #WorldSuicidePreventionDay #SuicidePrevention #MentalHealthFirstAidInstructor #MentalHealthFirstAid #MentalHealthTraining (Image description: An MHFA England Instructor Member sits at a table, with two learners on either side, going through a workbook. A green bubble from the bottom left corner says: Find out more. The white MHFA England logo is in the bottom right corner.)

"The 20-35% who don’t feel comfortable [talking to their line manager about issues] may look to other colleagues for support. Watercooler conversations persist, with money being a frequent topic of discussion. This is where the role of champions or ambassadors can play a crucial role, and many organisations have already adopted this approach in areas including diversity and inclusion, neurodiversity, and mental health. They break down taboos and encourage a supportive work environment. Since 2007, MHFA England has trained over 800,000 people across 20,000 organisations." At MHFA England®, we help to create environments where people feel empowered to bring their whole self to work, because it is better for wellbeing and better for business. We were delighted to be recognised for our work in an article by Stacey Lowman for theHRDIRECTOR on the topic of financial wellbeing and employee training (https://brnw.ch/21wMzra). Learn more about how our workplace consultants work collaboratively with you to find the most effective way forward for your organisation's needs ➡️ https://brnw.ch/21wMzrb #WorkplaceWellbeing #EmployeeWellbeing #FinancialWellbeing #WorkplaceCulture (Image description: The image in the background shows a shop worker holding a clip board while looking up at a shelf. Text over the image, on the left side, says: Born from decades of experience, our consultancy brings together world class experts, robust research, and lived experience to help you understand and meet the mental health needs of your organisation.)

** Content warning: Mentions rates of suicide ** Research from Movember tells us that three out of four suicides in the UK are by men, and globally, on average one man dies by suicide every minute of every day. “Traditional male stereotypes and the idea that showing emotion is a sign of weakness are fuelling stigma and preventing lifesaving conversations from happening,” Sarah McIntosh, interim Chief Executive at MHFA England®, comments in an article for The Independent (https://brnw.ch/21wMz97). “We all need to be more proactive if we think a friend, regardless of gender, is struggling with their mental health or demonstrating suicidal behaviours.” Download our free workplace resources with guidance on how to become more suicide aware, here ➡️ https://brnw.ch/21wMz98 #MensMentalHealth #WorldSuicidePreventionDay #SuicidePrevention #MentalHealthSupport (Image description: Green text in the top left of the image says: Five pillars of suicide prevention in the workplace. Below are three pages from the 'Five pillars of suicide prevention in the workplace' resource. Text below the images says: Download the resource from our website.)

Yesterday, we held a breakfast panel event to mark World Suicide Prevention Day, hosted by Vicki Cockman, our Director of Training and Consultancy. A huge thank you to our panel – Anil Toraty, Julie Castleman, and Michelle Stebbings – for providing some incredible insights, including: 👉 The importance of people managers – There is a need for people managers to have regular conversations and normalise speaking about mental health and wellbeing, and they are key to creating the right cultures to do this. People managers must be given the skills and confidence to have these conversations and the knowledge to signpost to support. 👉 The importance of Mental Health First Aiders – MHFAiders® are the foundations for change in workplaces. In a recent survey, 83% of MHFAiders believe they are helping to support the mental health of their workplace and 91% believe the role saves lives. It’s not enough to just have MHFAiders in place, you need to be continuously reminding people and communicating how they can support, alongside connecting them to others aspects of your wellbeing strategy. 👉 The importance of postvention – Postvention refers to activities or interventions offered to people affected by suicide. It is estimated that for every person who dies by suicide, 135 people are impacted – if 6,069 suicides were registered in England and Wales in 2023, that is almost 820,000 people affected last year alone. 👉 The importance of self-care – As well as signposting for people you’re supporting, you also need to know where to go for support yourself. MHFA England® training encourages self-care, giving people the tools to look after their own and others mental health. Learn more about MHFA England® training and download our new suicide prevention resource, here: https://brnw.ch/21wMywD #WorldSuicidePreventionDay #SuicidePrevention #ChangeTheNarrative #MentalHealthFirstAid (Image description: A selection of five images from MHFA England's World Suicide Prevention Day panel event. In the photos, the audience is sitting on rows of sofas with their backs to the camera. They are watching four panel speakers, who are sitting in separate chairs facing the camera, as each talk into a microphone.)

📰 Emerging Risks Media: Companies urged to choose their words when discussing suicide. Read the full article here 👉 https://brnw.ch/21wMxmC #WSPD24 #SuicidePrevention #BusinessNews #EmployeeWellbeing