New campaign to improve men’s mental health

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust has launched a new mental health campaign to support men in the workplace.

The Trust’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) is offering free mental health training sessions to local businesses in an attempt to reach male workers.

As part of the training, the team will work with male employees to help improve awareness and understanding of mental health issues, challenge attitudes and perceptions and provide advice on where staff can seek help.

A report by mental health charity Mind found that men self stigmatise and many are embarrassed to admit to themselves or others that they have a mental health problem. This makes it much harder for them to ask for help for example from their GP or friends and family.

Lynette Whitehead, PALS Lead at Pennine Care, said: “As a leading provider of mental health services in the borough, we want to educate more men about mental health, what signs to look out for and where to get help. By linking up with local businesses, we hope to reach a large male audience.

“Evidence suggests that stress is now the most common cause of long-term sickness absence for both manual and non-manual workers, so we hope the campaign will also benefit local businesses.”

Last year, Pennine Care conducted its biggest ever anti-stigma survey to find out more about local attitudes towards mental health. The survey revealed that 64% of people have been treated badly or unfairly as a result of a mental health problem.

If you’d like to nominate your workplace to take part, contact the PALS team on 0161 716 3178.