Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, the county’s mental health and learning disability service provider is holding a special breakfast seminar for local employers to help them better understand mental health and mental illness and how it affects their workforce.
The seminar, entitled ‘Building Bridges to Employment’ is being held on 27 January and will be attended by some of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s small to medium businesses. Along with networking and enjoying breakfast, delegates will have the opportunity to learn about mental health and how to deal with mental health problems within the workplace to ensure a healthier, happier and more productive workforce. They will also be informed of the realities of employing someone with a pre existing mental illness.
Speakers including Mike Cooke, Chief Executive, Professor Clair Chilvers, Chair of Nottinghamshire Healthcare and Professor Justine Schneider, Professor of Mental Health and Social Care, will be joined by Jonathan Naess, Managing director of Stand to Reason. Jonathan is well known for his work in the field of mental health and was awarded the Radar Human Rights Person of the Year Award 2008. Stand to Reason takes a positive and creative approach, in engaging people in tackling the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness. The event will close with an open question forum and a chance to ‘ask the experts’.
Professor Clair said “I am delighted that local employers are recognising the importance of the mental health and wellbeing of their workforce. We want to de-stigmatise mental ill-health. One in four people will experience a mental health problem at some time in their life and we must ensure that more people have a greater understanding of how to support those people with mental ill health. It’s ok to talk about it. In this current economic climate, many more people are experiencing mental ill health and require greater support and understanding from their colleagues and managers.”
The cost to business of mental ill-health can be great in terms of lost time and productivity. A recent study showed that workplace attitudes indicate widespread discrimination towards people with mental ill health, although this may not be conscious or intentional. Many employers seriously underestimate the extent to which employees and managers are experiencing stress, anxiety, depression and other forms of mental ill health.
