Over two days 8 staff- a mixture of office, field based and community staff attended Mental Health First Aider training which is accredited by Mental Health First Aid England. We covered topics in relation to mental well-being , spotting the signs of mental ill-health, how to approach and deal with any situations using an action plan set out by Mental Health First Aid England and we also broke down different mental ill health conditions.

All participants reflected throughout the course how real the training was, how mental health surrounds each and every one of us on a daily basis and how everyone is within ‘ The Mental Health Continuum’ with ever changing mental health changes happening to each of us as individuals due to situations and life stages. The course was intense however our trainer from Educ8 (www.edu-c8.co.uk) was able to ensure all participants were okay throughout as we were warned how emotive the course can be.

After the training Respect Care now have variety of staff trained to offer Mental Health First Aid both within the office and out in the field. We will now be looking at how similar training can be offered to all staff over the next 12 months to raise awareness of mental health and the importance of this.”

At Axela we believe mental health ad physical health go hand in hand that’s why we are hoping to have as many staff as possible trained as Mental Health First Aiders and First aiders.