Joint Congress Disability Committee Seminar

Friday 1 April 2011Clarion Hotel, Dublin Airport

Deirdre McNameeHealth and Social Wellbeing Improvement

Senior Officer

Policy Context Promoting Mental Health Strategy and Action Plan 2003-2008 (currently being rewritten)

Policy Development Improving Knowledge and Skills Raising awareness and reducing

discrimination Preventing Suicide

Protect Life a Shared Vision the Northern Ireland Suicide PreventionStrategy and Action Plan 2006-2011

Whole Population Approach Targeted Approach

Bamford Review of Mental Health and Learning Disability in Northern Ireland. (2002-2007)

Joint DHSSPS/HSE All-island 10 point action plan for suicide prevention

The Economic Case• The total cost of Mental Health problems to

employers is estimated at £26 billion per year in the UK

• Department of Work and Pensions estimate that £30 to £40 billion is lost to the economy due to Mental Ill health

• In 2007 around 40% of all days lost due to sickness absence were a result of mental ill health.

• District Councils sickness absence for 2008-2009: stress, depression, mental ill health and fatigue accounted for 23% of lost working days costing around £3.5 million.

Background and Rationale 2007 DHSSPS Commissioned HPACurrent Issues Funding structures Perspectives on relationship between

Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Overlapping training objectives Terminology

Aims of the review To establish what training is currently

delivered To identify gaps in training provision and

evaluation To make recommendations about future

developments and delivery of training, including recommendations about regional standards and quality assurance structures.

Process Consultation Data base established Regional seminars Mapping exercise Scoping exercises Regional training advisory group

Quality assurance of training

programmes &training delivery

Sustainability –costings and availability of trainers

Links with other strategic developments –clear working partnerships

Particular needs within specific

settings & addressing

diversity

Accessibleinformation

about availability of programmes

Coordinationof key regional programmes &

support for local delivery

Needs of whole population & specific target

groups

Selection of and support for trainers &

training providers

Involvement of service users,carers & those

directly affected by suicide

EMERGINGTHEMES

Emerging themes

Levels of training

Level 1 Level 1

Level 2

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

L1 – Whole population - awareness raising

L2 – Carers/helpers – skills & knowledge developmentL3 – Professional - clinical interventions

Challenges • Addressing needs of whole population and

targeting ‘at risk’ groups• Working across sectors, settings and life stages • Links to other strategic developments• Sustainability• Making the connection between mental health

promotion and suicide prevention• Evidence of Effectiveness

Key recommendations

Regional infrastructure Searchable database Regional Training Standards Commissioning criteria Training Advisory Group

Regional Training Programmes• Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)

• Applied Suicide Prevention Skills Training (ASIST)

• Work Well

Aims of MHFAAims of MHFA• To preserve life where the person may be a To preserve life where the person may be a

danger to themselves or othersdanger to themselves or others

• To prevent the mental health problem To prevent the mental health problem becoming more seriousbecoming more serious

• To promote the recovery of good mental healthTo promote the recovery of good mental health

• To provide comfort to a person experiencing a To provide comfort to a person experiencing a mental health problemmental health problem

A setting has been described as:

“a place or social context in which people engage in daily activities in which environmental, organisational and personal factors interact to affect health and well-being”.

(Ref: Nutbeam 1998)

Work Well is a process that can be used by

small and large organisations throughout

Northern Ireland to develop and implement

their own workplace health programmes.

What is Work Well?

Work Well3 Key business areas

Does it work?• The Work Well model is based on international best

practice.

• This type of model has gained recognition as one of the few approaches that is successful in improving the health and wellbeing of an organisation and its staff.

• Work Well was successfully piloted amongst 20 business within Northern Ireland. The results from the evaluation were very positive

There is evidence to suggest that; “investment in healthy working practices and the health and wellbeing of employees improves productivity and is cost effective for businesses and wider society” (Coats and Max 2005, Dunham 2001, Foresight 2008)

Why bother about workplace health?

A happy workforce is a healthy business!

Public Information CampaignsPromoting Mental Health Strategy and Action Plan (2003-2008)

“by September 2005 develop a public and professional information campaign to raise

awareness and understanding of mental health issues and reduce stigma attached

to mental health”

Protect Life: a shared vision the Northern Ireland Suicide Prevention Strategy

and action plan (2006-2008)

“by 2007 to develop and implement a suicide awareness information campaign

which helps to destigmatise mental health and encourage help seeking behaviour”

Public Attitudes to Mental Health• 63% underestimated the proportion of people who might

have a mental health problem at some time in their lives.

98% agreed that anyone can experience mental health problems.

• 54% said that if they were experiencing mental health problems they wouldn’t want people knowing about it.

46% said that they would be afraid of experiencing mental health problems themselves in the future.

Quotes from focus groups

• “Its like how I felt . I could see myself in that situation” (young male :suicide attempted)

• “That was just me last year” (young male :suicide attempted)

• “I can relate BIG time to that” (Suicide Awareness Group: older males)

• “We all wear masks, everybody does. You go to your work and you put on a brave face and you go home and you take it off” (Male 25-34 Portadown)

Phase 2 – concept development

24

13

5 7 5 5

34

44

31

24

118 6

50

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Think about yourown mental

health

Discuss mentalhealth issueswith anyone

Did something toimprove mental

health

Get informationon mental health

Seek help foryourself

Seek help forsomeone else

At least oneaction

2007 2008

Campaign impact on activity %

www.mindingyourhead.info

Self Care One thing you will do to look after your

own mental health.

One thing you will consider doing within your workplace/setting to promote mental health.

Comments or questions

deirdre.mcnamee@hscni.net