Background
Thousands of people in Wales sign on to Incapacity Benefit each year – with many citing anxiety, stress or depression as the main cause. With the right support a large number could be helped to stay in work. Healthy Minds at Work (HMAW) has brought together a cross section of public, private and voluntary sector organisations and has forged a strategic overview which aligns with each partner’s business development plan.
The common goal is to create excellence in workplace support for employees and employers experiencing and dealing with anxiety, stress or depression. A key driver in the formation of the DP is the use of the wealth of experience and understanding of the issues of each partner, and aligning this experience to the strategic objectives of the DP. For instance:
- Remploy is developing its offsite Vocational Rehabilitation Services
- the Teacher Support Counselling Service is broadening its services to non-teachers, and into the field of mental health
- local mental health charities AWETU and the Depression Alliance are expert advisors
- the Citizen’s Advice Bureau bring their high profile and experience in outreach communities and GPs surgeries
- Dyfed Police have much experience in supporting their workforce in dealing with the after-effects of incident handling.
Underpinning this congruence of experience is the reality that future funding is likely to be directed towards statutory and not voluntary bodies. The partnership reflects the organizations that have been engaged in the field of mental health but hitherto, have operated in isolation. This initiative is unique in bringing together all the agencies necessary to provide a seamless service.
Aims
The purpose of HMAW is to identify, challenge and then work in partnership towards elimination of discrimination experienced by people with a mental health issue, initially with regard to employment.
Objectives
The objective of HMAW is to create and deliver an intuitive partnership which identifies and delivers preventative strategies through health promotion, and improved mental health outcomes through job retention services for employees, the unemployed and incapacity benefit claimants. Specific objectives are to:
- Assist employers to successfully prevent and manage mental distress and promote mental health in the workforce.
- Empower employees to overcome the barriers created by ignorance and fear
- Promote the value of early intervention in the treatment of mental health problems as the best means of stimulating recovery
- Fully utilise the existing expertise in mental health services in partnership with the dynamic involvement of mental health service users.
- Access to rehabilitation and retention services
- Information on early intervention measures
- Support via a new contact and support centre
Target Groups
People experiencing: mental distress who are under pressure in the workplace; pressure in the workplace which puts their mental health at risk.; pressure outside the workplace which impacts on their ability to carry out their work. Employers in the public, private and voluntary sectors.
