Background One in three of the UK workforce have been diagnosed with a mental health condition at some point in their lives with around 10 million people experiencing a mental health issue each year in the UK. Confidence in employees to discuss mental health difficulties within the workplace is low and staff need avenues to feel confident to discuss their mental health. This is compounded by the known emotional burden that hospice staff face in their work.

Aim To provide hospice staff with a named mental health first aider to support staff in identifying and discussing mental health issues bringing balance between physical and mental health.

Method Dedicated mental health first aider within the hospice workplace who is available to provide mental health first aid support through a dedicated email contact and one-to-one sessions, for all staff to attend.

Results In the first nine months since the introduction of a mental first aider within a hospice setting, a number of staff have reached out for support. Verbal feedback in all cases has been in a positive response to having the opportunity to discuss mental health issues within the workplace.

Conclusion Providing hospice employees with a mental health first aider that can support discussion around mental health concerns is one step in opening up the importance of discussing and seeking support with mental health. This now needs to be measured in terms of impact.