In just two years the Trust has delivered training to more than 800 Mental Health First Aiders, something we’re marking this week as refreshed support and guidance around the topic of suicide is updated for staff, ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September.
Supporting a national NHS England push and echoing the work being done across Yorkshire as part of the West Yorkshire suicide prevention campaign, the Trust is providing additional resources and opportunities for people to get comfortable talking about suicide. This includes a new video of Mental Health First Aiders talking about their experiences and aftercare guidance for managers to support colleagues who have been affected by suicide.
Jo Buck, Deputy Director of HR said; “We need to get comfortable talking about suicide. We know that people are affected by this, both directly and indirectly and it’s part of our role as a good employer and moreover specialists in health care, to ensure that we are caring for our staff and our patients medically, but also in a wider sense.
“We’ve refreshed our suicide and mental health support information for staff and we’re asking our 800 Mental Health First Aiders to help support these conversations, in addition to making our course available to as many people as want to take part.”
You can watch a short video from Mental Health First Aiders at the Trust below: