10. Short Debate: A Contract for Better Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:33 pm on 16 January 2019.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of David Melding David Melding Conservative 6:33, 16 January 2019

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.