Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board

Content warning: Mentions of suicide

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) forms an essential part of local health services and is responsible for the care and wellbeing of over 1.1 million people. Their vision is to work with the local community ‘to make Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent the healthiest place to live and work.’ Despite being predominantly home-based, their staff work actively to support the community’s diverse needs, using three core hubs across the geographical area. 

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB’s mental health journey

Actively integrating mental health first aid training is a high priority for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB. “We are huge advocates for mental health as an organisation,” emphasises Caroline Nokes-Lawrence, head of ICB People, Organisational Development, and Inclusion.

"We’ve really matured as an organisation and set up our culture, so if a staff member wants to undertake mental health first aid, we will absolutely support it. It’s embedded in our culture, and we’re really proud that we have this support network that can be available in an instant, virtually or face-to-face.”

“We don’t just leave our MHFAiders® once training is over; we continue to support them on their mental health journey"

Beginning in 2017, we have trained numerous cohorts of staff as MHFAiders across the organisation. Post-training, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB continue to empower and support their network of MHFAiders:

“We strongly support all MHFAiders within their role, especially with additional support and training, such as the MHFA Refresher course. Additionally, we recognised from our MHFAiders that they regularly checked in with each other and saw whether there were any themes when staff were making contact. This further demonstrated to us that they needed ongoing peer support to grow their skills in being MHFAiders.

“Our Director of Corporate Governance is a Mental Health Nurse by background, so she holds bimonthly drop-in supervision and peer support sessions. Even though they’re voluntary, many of our MHFAiders attend; It’s a clear example of how MHFAiders benefit from regular peer-to-peer support.”

Importance of suicide first aid training within work

Employee mental health is becoming a growing organisational focus, but suicide prevention is still separated from workplace wellbeing. Data from the Office for National Statistics Hazards Campaign found as many as 650 suicides in the UK each year could be work-related, equaling 10% of all suicides in the country (1).

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB noticed a gap in wellbeing support around at-home working:

“We were doing regular temperature checks via staff questionnaires," says Caroline, "focusing on whether they felt supported and what they felt was missing whilst working agilely. We noticed a lot of feedback around wellbeing support and reported feelings of isolation from at-home working because people couldn’t socialise and check-in how you usually would in-person."

Socialising and building relationships are vital for our wellbeing, especially at work. However, changes in life-work boundaries and reduced contact with colleagues can lead to employees feeling isolated and overwhelmed. In 2022, Deloitte found that 50% of employees had experienced burnout resulting from pressure at work, reduced social interaction, and worn-down work/home life boundaries [2]. 

“Beginning with our network of MHFAiders, we then offered it more widely to our Staff Engagement Group representatives. Currently, we have trained over 20 in Suicide First Aid: Aware, along with a further 11 delegates trained in Suicide First Aid: Understanding Suicide Intervention.

“It shows our investment in our workforce, that we value their wellbeing. It also raises awareness for our peer organisations and colleagues to understand how important it is for us as an organisation to be able to share the learning we’ve received.”

Charmaine McNamara, an Administrator with the CMO, was keen to complete the Suicide First Aid course after enjoying her initial MHFAider training.

“I wanted to go for it [the Suicide First Aid course] because I wanted to learn more about it. The course is really about listening and finding the space to be with someone who is experiencing thoughts of suicide. It was a very personal journey for me. Thankfully, I haven’t had to use the skills I learnt, but they can be used day-to-day. You’ve got to be patient and realise it isn’t always about making it better quickly.”

Join Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB in our mission to transform the mental health of the nation

Suicide can be prevented through education and intervention. We will build on the work you have already done to support your people’s wellbeing and help you embed suicide prevention into your mental health and wellbeing strategy. Click below to learn more.

As a training organisation, we can’t provide mental health support, but there are lots of people who can. In an emergency, please contact 999 immediately or go to your nearest Accident and Emergency (A&E).

If you need medical help fast, but it’s not a 999 emergency:

NHS:

You can now contact your local crisis service by calling NHS 111 and selecting the mental health option, which is free to access.There, you will be connected directly to your local crisis service, where they will provide you with immediate mental health advice and support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Website: nhs.uk

The Samaritans:
The Samaritans is a free, confidential service providing emotional support 24/7 all year round. You can reach them by calling 116 123 (Free of charge), or visit their website for more information.

SHOUT 85258:

Shout 85258 is a free, confidential, anonymous text support service. You can text them from wherever you are in the UK. Text the word ‘SHOUT’ to 85258 to start a conversation with a trained Shout Volunteer.