Now in its 12th year, the Health and Wellbeing at Work conference is once again taking place this week in Birmingham from 6-7 March. The event brings together stakeholders from a wide range of industries to discuss and exhibit new ideas, resources and strategies for supporting the health and wellbeing of working age people.

Over two days exhibitors and industry leaders will be profiling national developments, service innovations, examples of best practice and new research. Themes range from the future of work, to technology, to leadership, to mental health.

Commenting on the event, Dame Carol Black, Principal, Newnham College and Expert Adviser to Public Health England and NHS England, said, “The past year has been a rich one for the health, work and wellbeing agenda. We have seen and welcome further action to safeguard the mental health and wellbeing of all people. Lord Stevenson and Paul Farmer’s independent review of mental health and employers, Thriving at Work – about which we shall hear more during this conference – offers a singular and timely opportunity for determined responses across the world of work. The Taylor review of modern working practices has addressed the changing demands and conditions of work and their implications for workers.”

“There are compelling incentives - when workforce and management engage in these activities we find better productivity, reduced sickness absence, safer practice, improved service quality and enhanced reputation. Most people, most of the time, are not troubled by significant health problems. The task is to keep it so by alleviating, or best of all, preventing as far as possible the familiar threats to their wellbeing. This calls for effective action throughout life, especially in the workplace where people spend so much of their time and effort. Contributors to the event share their experience and knowledge to further progress the health, work and wellbeing agenda.”

Partners and friends of MHFA England will be taking an active part in the event’s mental health session, which is being chaired by one of the organisation’s former non-executive directors, Robert Manson, Head of Occupational Health and Wellbeing at RWE Npower. Presenting as part of this session are MHFA Instructor and Head of Health and Safety at construction firm Mace, Martin Coyd OBE, and Beth Taylor, Executive Coach and Psychotherapist at PwC.

On the second day of the conference Dr. Chris Shambrook, Director at PlanetK2 and Psychology Consultant to GB Rowing will be presenting on employee engagement and motivation, bringing insights from the GB rowing team’s recently initiated programme of MHFA training. Following this MHFA England’s Director of Marketing and Communications, Eleanor Miller, will also be giving a presentation on planning and delivery of a successful mental health communications campaign.

Find out more about Health and Wellbeing at Work 2018 at healthwellbeingwork.co.uk

To see what the MHFA England team are getting up to at the event, be sure to follow us on Twitter @MHFAEngland