Last month Conservative MP Dean Russell presented a private members bill under parliament’s Ten Minute Rule, which proposed the introduction of a legal requirement for mental health first aid training in workplaces.
It received a mixed response from employers and workplace mental health specialists, some of whom felt mental health first aid (MHFA) placed too much onus on employees to be responsible for others.
Now, three ex-board members of Mental Health First Aid England have urged Russell to amend his bill, as they feel the current proposals “could create unintended and negative consequences”. They say it does not recognise that MHFA “is only one piece of the jigsaw when effectively managing and supporting mental health in the workplace”.
