Blogs | Mental Health First Aiders

In this blog, Lucy Nightingale, Organisational Development Business Partner and Wellbeing Lead at EMIS [now Optum], describes the Mental Health First Aid training and how it benefits employees of EMIS.

Why do we have Mental Health First Aiders?

Building a culture that recognises the importance of mental health and wellbeing is a key priority for us at EMIS. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training ensures that we have individuals in the business who are equipped with the knowledge and skills to handle sensitive conversations, spot the signs of poor mental health and signpost individuals to seek further support where required.

Over the last five years our focus on wellbeing has evolved and demonstrated the importance of having a MHFA programme, because of this we have just launched our third cohort with an additional 15 MHFA’s.

The training

Over the two days we spent in training, many of us shared our own personal experiences and it became even more apparent to me that everybody will have something going on at some point in their life which has an impact on their mental health. Through group discussions, there was a resounding message that stood out for me... you’re not alone.

Recent research has found that one in four adults experience at least one diagnosable mental health problem in any given year and one in five children and young people had a probable mental disorder in 2023.

So, what did we learn?  

Throughout the two days training we learnt many useful skills, such as how to spot the signs of someone struggling with their mental health and explored in depth insights into various mental health disorders. However, most importantly, we practiced conversation and listening skills, and this started with each other. I witnessed firsthand a group of individuals instinctively provide a safe space of compassion, confidentiality, and respect, but most notably, there was absolutely no judgement.  

This is exactly what our Mental Health First Aiders can offer; a safe space for colleagues to share concerns confidentially without fear of judgement – no matter how big or small they may feel.

Something to leave you with  

At EMIS, MHFA is just one part of our overarching wellbeing programme. Throughout the year, we host various campaigns to educate and raise awareness of multiple health and wellbeing related topics. We could not deliver such fantastic work without our passionate and enthusiastic MHFAs and Wellbeing Champions.

Thank you to all our new and existing MHFAs for volunteering for this important role and helping to make my training experience one of the best things I’ve done in my seven years at EMIS. We now have a combined group of MHFAs and wellbeing champions trained and ready to support our colleagues whenever they need us.

About the author

Lucy Nightingale

Organisational development business partner