Mindful Employer Charter Mental Health Awareness Video link Lucy Shevill and Penny Lee Organisation Development

Overview What is a Mental Health condition? An outline of the Mindful Employer Charter LCC actions and plans to date Challenges and expectations of employees with mental health conditions What actions will you take in your organisation?

What is a mental health condition? Stress itself is not a mental health condition but harmful levels of stress can lead to anxiety and depression which are. Anxiety can cause panic attacks, phobias and obsessive compulsive behaviours Severe mental health conditions include bipolar disorder, psychosis or schizophrenia. Mental health is also associated with eating disorders and drug and alcohol abuse.

The statistics At least 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their life 1 in 6 adults has a mental health problem at any one time. 1 in 100 people will have a severe mental health condition (eg. bipolar disorder, psychosis or schizophrenia) Source: No Health without mental health - A cross-government mental health outcomes strategy for people of all ages Feb 2011.

Mental health conditions can be helped by: Psychiatric treatment Effective therapy Peer support Family support Sleep, diet and exercise

What is Mindful Employer? It is an NHS initiative… “Developed, led and supported by employers, MINDFUL EMPLOYER ® provides businesses and organisations with easier access to information and support for staff who experience stress, anxiety, depression or other mental health conditions.” Mindfulemployer.net

Mindful Employer Charter As an employer we aim to: Have a positive and enabling attitude to job applicants with health issues in recruitment and selection processes Not discriminate against people disclosing mental health conditions in recruitment Not assume that someone with a mental health condition will take more time off than anyone else Provide non-judgemental and proactive support to individual staff who experience mental health issues Ensure all line managers have information and training about managing mental health in the workplace

LCC’s mindful employer journey Working towards the aims of the charter Wellbeing initiatives – Fitness – Health – Resilience Policy Reviews Training Next steps

Activity 1.Consider what challenges someone with a mental health condition might face in the workplace? 2. What should someone with a mental health condition be able to expect?

Now what? What is the first thing you will do? What do you need to do to improve the experience of people with a mental health condition in your organisations?