about 2 months ago by Debbie Lloyd

Meridian's Mental Health Aware Training


Raising awareness of mental health and challenging the stigmas attached to it is, rightly so, receiving a lot of press at the moment. Mental health is part of everyday life, just as much as physical health, and it is estimated that in any one year approximately one in four people experience a diagnosable mental health issue. Unfortunately the long-standing stigma around mental health means that many people have a limited understanding of it which in turn makes it difficult for some people to seek help when they need it – apparently, people are three times more likely to discuss physical ailments at work than concerns about mental health.

With this is mind, increasing understanding about mental health is essential, not just for the benefit of our people but for our candidates too. The Taylor Report found that workers in the gig economy are at a higher risk of suffering mental health issues due to the nature of the work that they do so having an awareness and being able to signpost people towards support should they need it could help make all the difference for some people.

As part of Meridian’s commitment to raising mental health awareness, we are rolling out several initiatives to help create a mentally healthy workplace. We already have a 24/7 counselling service provided by members of our HR Team who have been trained as Mental Health First Aiders and in addition to this, all our of line managers have been invited to attend Mental Health First Aid (Mental Health First Aid) Training. 

Above are some photos from a recent session held in Chippenham.