Self-Harm Awareness Day aims to improve understanding

This Friday, 1st March 2024, is Self-Harm Awareness Day in the UK, aimed at improving understanding of this sensitive and often misunderstood topic. Run by Harmless, the national centre of excellence for self-harm and suicide prevention, the awareness campaign, sometimes known as Self-Injury Awareness Day, provides “an opportunity for everyone across the country to...

Employers must do more to support menopause in the workplace

Employers are being reminded of the importance of creating supportive environments and approaching menopause in the workplace with a “holistic view.” The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) recently spoke out to urge businesses to take action on menopause in the workplace. The world’s leading professional health and safety body said that firms...

IOSH: Prioritise workplace health to keep people in work

A policy expert from the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has called on the government to prioritise investment in workplace health, safety and wellbeing in order to keep people in work. In a recent blog post, Corey Edwards, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager at IOSH, said that better investment in occupational...

New briefing reveals concerns about in-patient mental health care for children

The NSPCC has published a new briefing about young people’s experiences of in-patient mental health care after a sharp increase in the number of children contacting Childline about this issue. The Helplines Insight Briefing reveals that children and young people often feel as though they’re not being listened to when they’re admitted to, cared...

Time to Talk Day: start a conversation about mental health

Thursday 1st February 2024 is Time to Talk Day, when everyone is encouraged to have a conversation about mental health. Spearheaded by leading mental health charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, in partnership with Co-op, Time to Talk Day encourages friends, families, colleagues and communities to come together to talk, listen and make positive...

New measures launched to tackle school absences

The government recently launched new measures to help tackle widespread school absences. Launched as pupils were due to head back into the classroom following their Christmas break, the new measures are designed to drive up attendance and tackle persistent absences at schools in England. Figures show that the number of pupils frequently absent from...

Blue Monday? Let’s embrace a happy and healthy start to 2024

We’re fast approaching the fabled ‘Blue Monday’ – the so-called most depressing day of the year. But it doesn’t have to be as gloomy as prescribed; we’ve got a few tips for helping to boost your mood at this time of year and get 2024 off to a happy, healthy start. The third Monday...

Mental health at work: will support be more widespread in 2024?

The last few years have seen significant strides made in the sphere of mental health at work. But will 2024 be the year that comprehensive workplace mental health support becomes more commonplace? As we bid the previous year goodbye and move into 2024, the Covid-19 pandemic, national lockdowns and enforced working from home fade...

IOSH: people-focused work culture key for mental health

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has reiterated its belief that a people-focused work culture is key to reducing and preventing work-related mental health problems. The leading professional health and safety body spoke out after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published their annual statistics on work-related ill-health and workplace injuries for...

AI could speed up diagnosis of child mental health conditions

A research programme is working to develop an AI system that could revolutionise child mental health care. Dr Anna Moore is leading the project, based at the University of Cambridge, which is using cutting-edge technology to hopefully speed up the diagnosis of mental health conditions in children and identify those most at risk of...

HSE statistics reveal 2 million cases of work-related ill-health

Annual work-related ill-health and workplace injury statistics published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) this week show that almost 2 million British workers are suffering from work-related illnesses. The HSE’s annual statistics for 2022-23 also reveal that around half of reported cases of work-related ill-health are still due to mental health problems. The...

Stress: IOSH poll finds its an issue for majority of workers

A recent poll conducted by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) found that the majority of workers experienced stress in their job, but over half would not feel comfortable asking for support in the workplace. IOSH conducted the snap social media poll to mark International Stress Awareness Week last week (30th October...

NHS England launches first anti-racism framework

NHS England has published its first ever anti-racism framework to improve experiences of care for racialised and ethnically and culturally diverse communities. The Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF) was launched on Monday 30th October 2023 and is specifically aimed at supporting mental health trusts and providers to tackle systemic racism, become actively...

Childline: Over 100,000 children seek mental health help

Data released by the NSPCC reveals that over 100,000 children contacted Childline last year for help with mental health struggles. The confidential charity helpline delivered more than 105,000 counselling sessions on mental health and emotional wellbeing between 1st April 2022 and 31st March 2023 – over half of the total number of counselling sessions...

World Mental Health Day focuses on the right to good mental health

It’s World Mental Health Day on Tuesday 10th October 2023, and this year the global campaign will also mark the 75th anniversary of the organisation that founded it, the World Federation for Mental Health. Chosen through a global public vote, the official theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day is ‘Mental Health is...