New Horizons: Mental Health

As the UK navigates a new political direction I am continuing to reflect on how our profession, and what we do, will harness the new opportunities this now opens up. Within this series of personal blogs I am continuing to reach out to individuals and organisations passionate about putting health and people first, to those who understand the complex challenges we face.

Mental Health: A Call for Change

Every year, unprecedented events continue to challenge us. Millions are navigating the soaring cost of living, which deeply affects mental, physical, and financial well-being; disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable in our society.

There are now three million people out of work for long-term sickness, almost half of whom suffer with mental health problems. Our sick society is holding back Britain’s economy.”

Labour's manifesto pledges to “modernize legislation to give patients greater choice, autonomy, enhanced rights and support, ensuring everyone is treated with dignity and respect throughout treatment.”

We know proactive interventions yield better outcomes and higher returns on investment. Healthy individuals and communities benefit our whole society. Conversely, reactive treatment can not usually prevent issues returning especially if the individual is placed back into the environment which is creating their ill health.

Leaders who truly put their people, their development and their needs first, establishing psychologically healthy teams create stability within their organisations. Our work and home lives are intrinsically linked, particularly post pandemic. The devastating effects of poor workplace cultures with unachievable demands, lack of autonomy, absence of support, poor organisational change strategies and challenging relationships extend well beyond the factory gates affecting whole families. These organisations can not be seen as sustainable in the long term especially as dissatisfaction spills over into customer interactions and conflict leading to high attrition rates. Millennials coming into the workplace are prioritising inclusive and supportive environments. They expect mental health to not only be acknowledged but addressed. They are actively challenging working practices of the past and lifting the stigma so commonly associated with discussing mental health.

Labour's Promises

In 2017 the previous government commissioned an independent review of mental health and employers called “Thriving at Work”. This was pre-pandemic and the report pulled no punches in respect of the costs of poor mental health to the UK economy. As a result the HSE management standards were established.

Our new government has promised to reform the NHS to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health.

The NHS struggles to keep up with the challenges of mental health. Waiting lists for those referred for support are too long and thousands of lives are lost to suicide.

That is why the new government have pledged to recruit 8,500 additional mental health staff, specially trained to support people at risk – paid for by closing tax loopholes.

They will also ensure every young person has access to a specialist mental health professional at school, and set up Young Futures hubs in every community, offering open access mental health services for young people – funded by applying VAT and business rates to private schools.

Inspiring Change

As a profession, we are in the business of preventing ill health. Within our varied roles across sectors, potentially working with the most vulnerable within our communities, we have a critical role to play. We can encourage organisations to identify hazards via anonymous feedback channels, observation, and open conversations within the workplace. By educating boards and leaders of the risks and opportunities we open the door to honest conversations. Empathetic boards will ask the right questions and set the cultural tone.

As a profession we in a strong position to encourage our elected representatives to consider root causes and health prevention within their policies to save our stretched and over burdened NHS. We can point out that the provision of 8,500 additional mental health staff is welcomed but measures to encourage boards to take responsibility are needed along with the consideration of basic needs for the most vulnerable. This includes utilising our existing legislation to hold organisations and others to account and following through via enforcement action.

One of the HSE’s strategic objectives is to “Reduce work related ill health with a focus on mental health and stress”. Well established frameworks of “How?” are in place but with little or no movement in respect of enforcement some organisations will continue to create conditions which effectively fill our health care system. Some industries are very well aware of their obligations to their workforce yet continue to operate with little consideration for the long term health effects they are creating. The threat of proportionate, swift enforcement action must be there too.

We need to hold the new government to account in respect of their promises. This pledge was made without knowing the full facts of the ￡20bn black hole in the public finances discovered since the July election. It is time for us to encourage a prevention first narrative which will save money, improve work and our communities.

Ignored mental health conditions profoundly impact every aspect of an individual's life. It can be something that they never recover from. Is this the society we want to build for ourselves?

How can you personally advocate for change?

If this message resonates with you, consider writing to your local representatives, get to know them, be part of your community, get involved however much or little you can. Be persistently consistent and consistently persistent. The smallest steps are still steps forward. Information on how is available on the web and this is the time to do it.

Together, we will achieve our goals and go beyond to make a profound impact on the lives of the people around us. It starts with each of us and just a simple, single conversation at a time.