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Mental Health training; The HSE Management Standards Approach

Mental Health training; The HSE Management Standards Approach

At Flagship Training we use the HSE’s Management Standards approach to support employers meet the recommended guidance on how to manage people’s Health in the workplace. Our training is TQUK endorsed and Skills for Care endorsed as well as HSE approved. The Management Standards approach support employee’s mental health by focusing on ways Stress are present in the workplace. We work together on how best to effectively improve processes and management systems to reduce the risk of Workplace Stress as well as training and qualifying your people to be well informed on Mental Health.

Is there proof that Mental Health First Aid works? The aim of First Aid in a physical sense is the process of preserving life, preventing illness or injury from worsening, relieving pain, promoting recovery, protecting the unconscious, this is following a process until an ambulance and qualified medical assistance is on hand.

Is Mental Health First Aid really just a buzz word of linguistic programming that has been adopted when introduced from Australia? Does Mental Health First Aid mean that as an organisation you are allowing an incident to take place? To then deal with or manage the consequences after injury or incident, in which case it is reactive not proactive?
At Flagship we believe Mental Health training should be proactive in your workplace, it should be a long term strategic and cultural objective for your organisation to proactively promote wellbeing and good mental health in your people.

Business and the UK economy is hit every year with loss of productivity due to workplace illness. Stress, Depression and Anxiety are the main causes. The HSE reports in 2017/8 15.4 million days to Mental Ill Health Issues. On average people required 16.5 days off in a case of workplace ill health, however this increased by 56% when related to mental ill health. Where 25.8 days on average where required prior to return to work.

HSE’s Management Standards represent a set of conditions that, if present:
• demonstrate good practice through a step-by-step risk assessment approach
• allow assessment of the current situation using pre-existing data, surveys and other techniques
• promote active discussion and working in partnership with employees and their representatives, to help decide on practical improvements that can be made
• help simplify risk assessment for work-related stress by:
o identifying the main risk factors
o helping employers focus on the underlying causes and their prevention
o providing a yardstick by which organisations can gauge their performance in tackling the key causes of stress

They cover six key areas of work design that, if not properly managed, are associated with poor health, lower productivity and increased accident and sickness absence rates. The Management Standards are:
1. Demand – this includes issues such as workload, work patterns and the work environment
2. Control – how much say the person has in the way they do their work
3. Support – this includes the encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues
4. Relationships – this includes promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour
5. Role – whether people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that they do not have conflicting roles
6. Change – how organisational change (large or small) is managed and communicated in the organisation

Flagship can support your workplace by effectively implementing the Management Standards approach. It is essential that you ensure the resource, support and infrastructure for the project is in place in your organisation and buy in from key stakeholders.

The approach taken in our workplace Mental Health Training is to support your organisation proactively improve the way it manages people’s mental health.
Our training ensures your people are qualified and are well informed. Understanding what mental health and mental ill health is. We have a range of courses from online (most basic) to 2 days in the classroom (our advanced Level 3 Mental Health in the Workplace Training). Engaging your people through this training enables them to become your appointed person or Ambassador. Who has the knowledge to support your people when they face mental health challenges. Your qualified Mental Health Ambassadors will be able to support your organisation by signposting people to the correct support. This helps to enable early intervention. Our training will also support your organisation implement the Management Standards approach.
After working with us you will have a relevant plan of action to improve your workplace. Our training enables you to be proactive not reactive.

Speak to us today about the range of, TQUK endorsed, Skills For Care endorsed and HSE approved Mental Health training courses we can offer.
Mental Health in the Workplace (online) this is our Awake training.
Mental Health in the Workplace (level 1) 0.5 day this is our Aware training.
Mental Health in the Workplace (level 2) 1 day this is our Advocate training.
Mental Health in the Workplace (level 3) 2 day this is our Ambassador training.

Flagship Training will support your people through the learning process, depending on your business requirements we can tailor our course content. Meaning we can work together to meet the needs of your organisation.