The Use and Effectiveness of Mental Health First Aid in Workplaces.

UK workplaces have suffered record levels of mental ill-health impacting on workers, organisations and the wider UK economy. By 2020 the cost of workplace mental illness to the UK economy was £28 billion, with 13 million UK working days lost due to work-related stress, anxiety or depression. This increased to 16.4 million lost days for 2023/24. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an internationally recognized training program which teaches ‘trainees’ to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health challenges or crises. Trained individuals provide initial support, reassurance, non-judgemental listening, while guiding those who may be suffering to professional help. Evidence suggests the presence of MHFA in workplaces helps to reduce stigma, foster supportive environments and increase understanding. However, evidence concerning tangible impacts in workplace mental health, such as reduced severity and incidence of common mental health problems, is harder to find. Many workplace evaluations suffer from poor methodology and the evidence about use of MHFA remains uncertain. Barriers to success and ways to increase the likelihood of success are also discussed.

Keywords: Interventions; Literacy; Sign-posting; Mental health; Efficacy.