Open Letter to the Prime Minister on Mental Health

I see that business leaders and unions have called for mental health to be given the same weight as physical first aid in workplace legislation. An open letter asking Theresa May to prioritise manifesto pledges to act on mental health has been signed by some of Britain’s biggest employers, including Royal Mail, WH Smith, Mace, Channel 4 and Ford, as well as the Unite union.

I reproduce the letter in full here, Kate.

Date: 18 November 2018

Dear Prime Minister,

Re: Amendment to the Health and Safety at Work first aid regulations.

We as the Chairman of Mental Health First Aid England and CEO of Bauer Media Group, along with leaders of some of the UK’s biggest employers, write to ask that the Government prioritises its manifesto pledge to amend the Health and Safety regulations, so that workplaces are required to make provision for mental as well as physical first aid.

The commitment to explicitly include mental health in the First Aid regulations is supported by both employers and by the wider public. Since May 2018 over 200,000 people have signed the Bauer Media change.org petition calling on the Government to make mental health first aid mandatory in all workplaces. There are both economic and human reasons for protecting mental health in the workplace and combined, these reasons present a powerful case for updating the law. Each year, workplace mental health issues cost the UK economy almost £35 billion, with 15.4 million working days lost to work-related stress, depression or anxiety. But the cost is not just financial, because left untreated mental health impacts a person’s relationships with friends and family and ultimately their quality of life.

Requiring employees to implement some basic steps to protect employees’ mental health would reduce these impacts. As an employer we have a duty of care to our staff and whilst some employers are at the forefront of change, equalising their number of mental health first aiders with physical first aiders, we cannot afford to leave anyone behind. Cost cannot be a reason for objections because in the long run it is inevitable that making mental health first aid in the workplace mandatory will save money.

Success will ensure employees across the country can access a trained staff member to receive initial support and guidance if they are dealing with a mental health issue at work. Success will ensure every employee has the right to a mentally healthy environment. Success will mean we can finally break the stigma of mental health in the workplace. We all have mental health just as we have physical health. So please enact a change in the law to reflect this.

Yours faithfully,

Professor Mark Watson-Gandy Chairman Mental Health First Aid England

Paul Keenan CEO Bauer Media Group

Signed by ….

Alistair Campbell Association of Colleges,

David Hughes, Chief Executive British Independent Retailers Association,

Andrew Goodacre, CEO Bowmer & Kirkland,

John Kirkland, Chairman Building Mental Health,

Martin Coyd OBE, Director Bupa,

David Hynam, UK CEO Business in the Community,

Amanda Mackenzie OBE, CEO Centre for Mental Health,

Sarah Hughes, CEO The Chartered Institute of Building,

Chris Blythe, Chief Executive City Mental Health Alliance,

Poppy Jaman OBE, CEO The City UK,

Miles Celic, CEO Channel 4,

Jonathan Allan, Chief Commercial Officer Chartered Management Institute,

Ann Francke, CEO Community Union,

Roy Rickhuss, General Secretary Construction Industry Council,

Graham Watts OBE, Chief Executive Direct Line Group,

Simon Linares, HR Director Exterion Media,

Jason Cotterrell, Managing Director Ford of Britain,

Andy Barratt, Chair and Managing Director Guild HE,

Gordon McKenzie, Chief Executive Hogan Lovells,

Susan Bright, Managing Partner

Kelly Hoppen MBE, Business Owner, Author, Designer LawCare,

Elizabeth Rimmer, CEO

Lord Sugar Mace,

Mark Reynolds, CEO MediaCom UK,

Josh Krichefski, CEO Mental Health Nurses Association,

Evri Anagnostara, Chair NASUWT – The Teachers’ _Union,

Chris Keates, General Secretary NABS,

Sam Orrin, Senior Partnerships Manager,

Natasha Devon MBE Otsuka,

Ole Vahlgren, President and CEO PRCA,

Francis Ingham, Director General Professor Lord Patel of Bradford OBE Publicis Media,

Sue Frogley, CEO PwC,

Kevin Ellis, Chairman and Senior Partner Reed Smith,

Carolyn Pepper, Partner retailTRUST,

Richard Boland, CEO Rethink Mental Illness,

Mark Winstanley, CEO Royal Mail,

Dr Shaun Davis, Global Director of Safety, Health, Wellbeing & Sustainability SANE,

Marjorie Wallace CBE, CEO Schroders,

Peter Harrison, Group Chief Executive Standard Chartered,

Tracy Clarke, CEO, Europe & Americas Starcom,

Jodie Stranger, CEO UK Group & President Global Clients EMEA St John Ambulance,

Martin Houghton-Brown, Chief Executive Student Minds,

Rosie Tressler, CEO 7 Stars,

Jenny Biggam, Co-founder Thames Water,

Karl Simons, Chief Health, Safety & Security Officer Three UK,

David Dyson, Chief Executive Unite the Union,

Len McCluskey, General Secretary Universities UK,

Alistair Jarvis, CEO University of the Arts London,

Marie Kan, Head of Service Counselling,

Health Advice and Chaplaincy Weight Watchers,

Chris Stirk, Senior VP and General Manager Wavemaker UK,

Paul Hutchinson, CEO WHSmith,

Stephen Clarke, CEO Young Minds,

Emma Thomas, Chief Executive