Mental Health Awareness Week: 14th - 18th May

Hughes and Salvidge always strive to ensure the wellbeing of our employees, subcontractors and those affected by our works. With that in mind, members of our Health and Safety team have recently completed additional, and more focused, mental health training designed specifically to assist and support employees in the workplace.

A study conducted by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in conjunction with the Department of Work and Pensions estimated that 1 in 6.8 people (14.7%) will experience mental health issues in the workplace and a report in 2014 from the Office of National Statistics suggests that 12.7% of all sickness absence days in the UK can be attributed to mental health conditions.

It is important to Hughes and Salvidge that our staff are not only safe and well at work but that their health, safety and wellbeing outside of work is considered as well. We appreciate and understand, therefore, that mental wellbeing can transcend both domains, and we offer support accordingly.

Lori Noble is our qualified Mental Health First Aid Ambassador. She is our dedicated person for all mental health related queries and issues, distributing information related to mental health to our teams through our regular safety bulletins and company-wide memos. Through her work within the Health and Safety team and organising the Occupational Health screenings, Lori has developed good relationships with the members of our site teams, leading her to be the best person for the Ambassador role.

Following on from extensive, intensive courses, Hughes and Salvidge have implemented and practice the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England approved ALGEE method.

• Approach and Assess
• Listen
• Give support and information
• Encourage appropriate professional help
• Encourage other support (family and friends, etc.)

We utilise a list of local and national support organisations to further refer our employees, should this be required. All discussions are undertaken in the strictest confidence.