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Three million working days have already been lost to poor mental health in 2026. In response, MHFA England® has joined a new £3 million partnership with leading healthcare services and health plan provider Simplyhealth. The partnership also includes leading charities Mental Health Foundation and Mental Health Innovations , and aims to expand access to proactive mental health support across UK workplaces and communities.
As part of the three-year programme, Simplyhealth will fund 104 online Mental Health Aware courses delivered by MHFA England in the first year alone, supporting around 2,600 employees across 600 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The partnership focuses on awareness, prevention, and early intervention – ensuring more organisations have the knowledge and confidence to support mental health at work.
Most adults spend at least a third of their time at work. When mental health is supported, people are better able to thrive – and so are organisations.
With nearly two decades of experience working with over 20,000 organisations, MHFA England is the national authority on mental health first aid and a leading provider of evidence-based workplace mental health training and consultancy. Through this partnership, more SMEs will be able to access structured, quality-assured training that builds understanding, challenges stigma, and equips people to start supportive conversations.
Mental Health Aware training provides practical insight into common mental health conditions, the factors that affect wellbeing at work, and how to respond appropriately when someone may be struggling. It forms part of a wider preventative approach – helping workplaces create cultures where people feel able to speak up and seek support early.
Sarah McIntosh, Chief Executive of MHFA England and the Association of Mental Health First Aiders®, said:
We are delighted to be partnering with Simplyhealth to provide workplace mental health training to SMEs. Since MHFA England was formed nearly 20 years ago, we have worked with over 20,000 organisations. Physical and mental health are intrinsically linked and, with most of us spending a third of our time at work, the workplace is a huge factor in our mental health.
The training will improve understanding of mental health and challenge stigma so people can talk more freely about mental health, because everyone should be able to offer and seek support when it is needed. This initiative will ensure that more small organisations can create healthy workplaces where people and business thrive.
Paul Schreier, CEO at Simplyhealth, added:
Through our partnerships, we’re using our profits in a meaningful and impactful way to improve access to mental health support for people across the UK. Workplace absence costs the economy billions each year; by offering mental health benefits to employees, businesses can prevent stress-related illness before it escalates. We are proud to be working with these three incredible organisations to drive real change.
While absence data highlights the scale of the challenge, this partnership focuses on what organisations can do next.
Prevention and early intervention are central to creating mentally healthy workplaces. When managers and employees have the right knowledge and tools, they’re better able to spot the warning signs of poor mental health, start conversations with confidence, and signpost to appropriate support.
Alongside training, MHFA England works with organisations through tailored consultancy to develop whole-organisation approaches to wellbeing – helping employers embed sustainable culture change that supports both performance and people.
As a social enterprise with a vision of a nation where everyone’s mental health matters, MHFA England works to create mentally healthy workplaces where people, communities, and business thrive. This partnership strengthens that mission by extending access to evidence-based training for SMEs across the UK.
If your organisation has fewer than 250 employees and has not yet undertaken formal workplace mental health training, you may be eligible for a funded place on one of our upcoming Mental Health Aware courses.
To learn more about MHFA England’s workplace training and consultancy services, visit our Workplace page.