And we therefore move on to our next item, which is the short debate. If Members could leave the Chamber quietly so that we can proceed to the short debate.

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Ann Jones) took the Chair.

I now call Jack Sargeant to speak to the topic he has chosen for the short debate. Jack Sargeant.

Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. Before I begin, I would like to make the Chamber aware that I would like to be giving one minute of my time each to David Melding, Mohammad Asghar and my colleague Rhianon Passmore.

I'm delighted to lead this short debate today on mental health within the workplace, particularly in light of the Welsh Government's recently published economic contract. I'd like to thank the Minister for Economy and Transport for all his hard work on that contract, and say that I hope we can continue to work together closely on the issue of mental health. I also hope that I can work with the Minister for Health and Social Services on this issue as well.

Members will know that improving mental health support is something very close to my heart, and this short debate is another opportunity to discuss this issue and express my feelings towards this issue. But it's also a good opportunity to rightly highlight the work of the Where's Your Head At? campaign—a campaign that is aiming to ensure that all employers look after the well-being of their workforce. Specifically, it is asking to make it compulsory to have a mental health first-aider at work.

Now, I agree with that call, and it's why I thank a leading figure of that campaign, Natasha Devon MBE, for all her work so far. Her campaign has been widely supported across the UK, with over 200,000 signatories—MPs from across political parties, as well as over 50 UK business leaders. Supporting such a campaign and making change a reality here in Wales makes absolute sense, and it is the right thing to do. It makes sense from both a human and financial perspective to ensure that we protect mental health within the workplace the same way we protect physical health.

Each year, workplace mental health issues cost the UK economy almost £35 billion, with 15.4 million working days lost to work-related stress, depression or anxiety. But the cost is not just financial. Left untreated, mental ill health impacts a person's relationships with friends, family, colleagues, and ultimately it impacts the quality of their own life. A major study into workplace well-being by the Mind charity found that more than half of the people surveyed had experienced poor mental health within their current job. 

The economic contract is one of the key policies within the Welsh Government's economic action plan, and, under the contract, businesses seeking Government support will need to commit to the principle of growth, fair work, reducing carbon footprint, health, skills and learning within the workplace. So, I'm particularly pleased that mental health is a priority within the economic contract and that the Government will support different initiatives.

But, just as people who suffer mental health illness want concrete support, I want concrete change and solutions. I believe this campaign has an important part to play and would urge the Welsh Government to support fully the Where's Your Head? campaign, which will be debated in the UK Parliament, and for the Welsh Government to consider all options as to what can be done to ensure that we make provision for mental health first aid, as they do physical first aid, in the workplace, both in the public and private sector.

Employers have a duty of care to their staff, and, whilst some employers are at the forefront of change, we cannot afford to leave anyone behind here in Wales or the UK. I pay tribute to Airbus in my own constituency and Jayne Bryant's constituency, who I know do a lot of work in this area, and I'd also like to pay tribute to my own union, and thank them, Unite the union, for all the work that they do in providing members with support and training around mental health and this particular issue.

Now, we need to share best practice, but we also need to ensure that other employers equalise their number of mental health first aiders. Cost cannot be a reason for objections, because having mental health first aiders in the workplace will lead to savings in the long-term future. I want Wales, and I want the Welsh Government, to lead the way on this issue. If we succeed here in Wales, others will follow and others will succeed too.

Deputy Llywydd, a letter recently was sent to the UK Prime Minister, and it rightly said that success will ensure employees across the UK can access a trained member of staff and they will be able to receive initial support and guidance if they are dealing with a mental health issue at work. Success will ensure that every employee has the right to a mentally healthy environment—a mentally healthy work environment. And I think, from the cross-party support that we have here this evening, it's clear that we all in this Assembly Chamber want to succeed in this issue.

So, finally, Deputy Llywydd, I'd like to just mention what success would look like to me. To me, success will mean that we can finally break the stigma of mental health in the workplace and we can make it clear that it is okay not to be okay. And if we do push forward with this campaign we will be heading towards a world of good mental health for all. Diolch.

Can I thank Jack for raising this really important issue of mental health first aid in the workplace? I speak as someone who's had my own mental health problems quite consistently throughout my adult life, and it has impacted in the workplace, there's no doubt about that. I think in an informal way I've been supported and I've struggled through and most of the time I've been in good health. But I do think we need consistent policies, because there are times when people probably are underperforming significantly. I notice that some of the latest estimates on cost to employers run from £33 billion to £42 billion. It's astonishing, and obviously the main thing here is the humanitarian concern about keeping people in the best health possible, but economically it really doesn't make any sense. Unfortunately, the Department of Work and Pensions estimates that up to 300,000 people a year lose their job because of a mental health condition. That's really the scale of the problem.

Can I just ask the Minister? I understand that the Welsh Government's mental health strategy did set targets for Public Health Wales to look at this whole issue in the workplace, and they're supposed to report by March 2019, so just coming up. I do think that the NHS, our largest employer in Wales, is really in an excellent position to highlight best practice in how to support employees that have ongoing mental health concerns. Thank you. 

I'm thankful to Jack for giving me one minute of his time for this very important issue. Actually, it is a legal duty of the national health to protect our mental health, people, to make sure that local authorities and health boards improve and support people with mental health problems. It is a sad scenario that mental health problems—they can damage lives and weaken society. Three quarters of those with a mental health problem have no treatment support in Wales, which is a staggering figure, which Jack already mentioned. Billions of pounds have been spent on research and development. For those people who are in work, there's only minor research work, less than 5 per cent, and, for mental health, it's negligible—not much money. Could the Minister make sure that money is set aside to make sure that people in work—there is continuous development for their mental health in workplaces, not to get sacked or removed from their job?

Words beginning with P—between O and Q, P—are very—. There are very toxic words there, which mental health gives you—. It's through poverty, prison, pressure at work, post natal—so, words beginning with P are very, as he said, toxic in mental health, which people go through. Dementia is one, with 43,000 people suffering in Wales. I live with one, a relation in my family, and Minister it's a long subject we have to deal with, a mental health subject. I would be grateful if you'd consider that people in work should have not just support from their employers but also from the Government to make sure that mental health—when they go though certain problems, whether family or work, they should be cared for there and then and things should be sorted out. Thank you. 

I want to start by thanking Jack for bringing forth this short debate on this very vital area and for bringing this debate to us today. According to the mental health charity Mind, more than one in five people have said that they have called in sick to avoid work, when asked how workplace stress had affected them. Though the overwhelming majority of managers and employers will, I'm sure, want and wish to support their employees' well-being, it can all too often be more than a real challenge for many people to discuss their mental health with their line manager, for obvious reasons.

This is why it is absolutely important that workplaces do have a mental health first aider—and I would agree completely with the sentiment that Jack has just stated—able to provide well-being support, someone who is there for us when we are not okay. We can all in this Chamber play a role in providing pastoral support to our colleagues, whatever organisation we work in. I know that on our corridor in Tŷ Hywel Jack does practice what he preaches. He often pops his head around the door, sometimes with a chocolate bar, if I'm allowed to state that. It's a very unique brand of well-being support, but I do recommend it.

As we continue, though, to experience—on a more serious point—ongoing austerity, rising prices, stagnant wages, collapsing welfare nets, the ongoing effect and impact of welfare reform, the vast majority of welfare claimants being in work, and the ongoing concerns around Brexit, I am very glad to hear the argument today that it is okay not to be okay. We do need to act now to break the stigma around mental health in the workplace. I'm glad to hear of some very real examples in Wales that our Welsh Government is leading the way on and I do believe that real progress is under way.

I welcome the priority given to mental health within the Welsh Government's economic contract. This is a critical plank of our national vision, and I very much welcome it also, but, in this age of the smartphone, it is often very easy to feel like we're never too far away from work e-mails and work stress. So, it is vital that, wherever our place of work, we all have the support we need and a mentally healthy workplace environment. Diolch.

Can I now call on the Minister for Health and Social Services to reply to the debate? Vaughan Gething.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I want to start by thanking Jack Sargeant for bringing this important short debate topic to the Assembly and also to Members for their contributions in the debate. This is a welcome opportunity to discuss mental health in the workplace, a subject that affects all of us, not just our constituents but all of us, and is recognised as a priority by the Government in our programme for government.

We know that the work that we do, the fulfilment and the enjoyment that we get from it, and the achievements that we realise through our working lives, are often a key factor in our overall sense of well-being. We also know that, even with those positive effects, sometimes we find ourselves under pressure or working with others who are under pressure for reasons in their work or their personal lives. I know this not just from my time here but my time before this place when I was an employment lawyer and much of the disability discrimination that I dealt with in terms of giving advice and representation was actually about work-related stress or employers not dealing with factors from outside of work that affect their ability to work. So, this is a long and consistent theme of the challenge that comes from not properly recognising mental health pressures and how employers and employment can be an important factor in a person's sense of self-worth and well-being. The impact of employee health and well-being is now more universally recognised as a key factor of business growth in an increasingly competitive economic world. The benefits include increased productivity, reduced costs and improved staff retention and commitment.

Of course, the issues and challenges around mental well-being in the workplace are complex, but there is a role for all of us—the Government, employers, employees, colleagues and friends—both as sources of support, but also in making such a big part of our life both prosperous and happy.

In terms of the contribution of Government, our role is an important one, setting out the overall policy direction but also helping to put in place practical interventions. I am proud that this Government, with support from across the Chamber in each party, has placed a high level of importance on improved mental health and well-being, and for the Government it features strongly amongst our overall priorities, because mental health and well-being is one of the five key themes in 'Prosperity for All', and we set out a range of commitments in the programme for government on how it would be delivered.

I'm particularly pleased that, in opening this debate, Jack Sargeant didn't refer to the health service, he referred to the economic contract and the commitments that were made there about what we want from employers, recognising that the workplace is a key factor in mental health and not simply that mental health is only a topic for the health service. Because we do recognise that receiving the right treatment at an early stage, raising awareness of conditions, can often help to prevent more serious and long-term impacts. Of course, in 'A Healthier Wales', our joint plan for health and social care, we've got a future vision of a whole-system approach between health and social care, focused on health and well-being and on preventing ill health, and not just physical ill health but ill health in all of its aspects.

Now, whilst it is crucial for the strategic national direction to be strong and clear, that in itself is not enough to fully realise our ambitions. That needs to be supported by a range of policies and programmes across the Government in order to make a real difference to people's lives. I deliberately refer to 'across the Government'—as I've just said, this is not simply an issue for the health sector. We have an important role both as an employer as well as a service provider. But, as a Government, this is work that moves across portfolios to ensure that mental health and well-being is a priority in the workplace. I want to address a few particular areas to highlight some of the variety and scale of activity.

Last year, the Government published a cross-Government employability plan that set out our vision for Wales to be a high-employment, high-tech and high-wage economy. In that plan, we committed to helping everyone to achieve their potential through meaningful employment, regardless of their ability, health issues, background, gender or ethnicity. And we fund, between the economy department and the health department, the Healthy Working Wales programme, which is delivered in partnership with Public Health Wales. That programme aims to improve health and well-being to help people stay in work or return to work. I've presented a number of awards under that programme to small, medium and large employers and it does make a difference when employers engage in that programme with the idea of understanding it's good for their business and their employees to make that difference.

There are a wide range of services that help to reduce the costs and the burden of ill health and absence, from one-to-one support, training events, workshops and the provision of online and telephone information and guidance. And some elements require managers and employees to be given training to identify signs and symptoms associated with stress and mental health problems in the workplace. And that's what we call mental health first aid.

Now, I recognise that, in moving this, Jack Sargeant referred to the Where's Your Head At? campaign. The mental health first aid programme that I referred to is currently delivered by the social enterprise called Training in Mind. They have over 100 approved trainers in Wales and the programme receives no direct funding from the Welsh Government, but my officials are actually due to meet Training in Mind shortly to discuss their work and to consider whether the Welsh Government could support the potential development of the programme. I'm happy, following this short debate, to update Members on the progress that we make in those discussions once they've happened, as well as the broader point that David Melding mentioned about the Public Health Wales report due by the end of this financial year.

I'm pleased that, with Healthy Working Wales, over 3,000 employing organisations in Wales, employing over half a million people, have engaged. That's over a third of the working population of Wales within those businesses. And a complementary programme funded by the Welsh Government and the European social fund is the in-work support service. It provides free and rapid access to occupational therapy designed to help people with mental or physical health conditions to remain in employment. And, since we launched it in 2016, the scheme has already provided therapeutic interventions to 3,500 employees, including over 1,300 people with mental health conditions. That's helped over 2,500 people to remain in work and another 430 to return to work, and it's also helped nearly 2,000 small and medium businesses to reduce the business impact of sickness absence. In November last year, an additional £9.4 million of European Union and Welsh Government funding was announced to continue the in-work support service to December 2022. That should help us to significantly expand the service to support up to 12,000 people and an additional 2,500 businesses to help build and sustain a healthy workplace. It will also provide more in-depth support to enterprises, including dedicated business coaches to support their small and medium businesses to take forward the well-being agenda within their workplace.

Now, we have made progress in tackling the stigma associated with mental health. There is, of course, more to do. The third phase of the Time to Change Wales campaign started last April with Welsh Government funding of over £650,000 over three years. The central aim remains to challenge and change negative attitudes towards mental ill health. Phase 2 of Time to Change Wales yielded encouraging results, with evidence of a 5 per cent improvement in public attitudes towards mental health and with more than 150 Time to Change Wales champions having spoken about mental health to over 8,000 people. I'm delighted that over 100 employers in Wales, including the Welsh Government, have signed the Time to Change Wales pledge on behalf of over 260,000 members of staff.

A key difference of phase 3 will be to focus on targeting male audiences. Other target audiences include rural communities and Welsh speakers. So, there's a broad range of activity making an important contribution to mental well-being in the workplace. But, of course, we need to consider that outside the workplace too, and how we encourage people to adopt healthy and active lifestyles to improve not just their physical health but their mental well-being too. Helping people access well-being activities and services is a key aspect to doing so, and we do believe that social prescribing could have an important role in helping get people to community-based non-clinical support, to shift the emphasis from treating illness to promoting better well-being, and to support people to take greater control of their own health and the broader preventative agenda. Whilst further evidence of its effectiveness is needed, that helps explain why we're funding two social prescribing schemes with robust evaluation mechanisms that I've approved within the last year to expand our evidence base on the effectiveness of social prescribing in improving and maintaining good mental health.

So, I am by no means complacent. The challenges are complex and the impacts on people's lives are real. There is always much more to do, and we, all of us, need to strive to make the most positive contribution we can do, but on this, I believe that there's a shared commitment across parties and I hope, across the country.

Thank you very much. That brings today's proceedings to a close. Thank you.

The meeting ended at 18:49.