Mental Health First Aiders

We value the importance of looking after staff wellbeing. This is why, following a charitable donation from Leeds Hospitals Charity in 2021, we have continued with our Mental Health First Aid Programme.

There are more than 800 Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) embedded across all of our hospital sites. Our Health and Wellbeing team also supports the delivery of the MHFA programme across other organisations within the NHS.

In the same way as physical first aiders, Mental Health First Aid training teaches people how to recognise those crucial warning signs of poor mental health, support someone in a crisis or signpost effectively. An interaction can range from having a conversation to supporting someone to get appropriate help.

Mental Health First Aiders are trained to:

Spot the early signs and symptoms of mental ill health
Start a supportive conversation with a colleague who may be experiencing a mental health issue or emotional distress
Listen to the person non-judgmentally
Assess the risk of suicide or self-harm
Encourage the person to access appropriate professional support or self-help strategies. This might include encouraging access to internal support systems such as EAPs or in-house counselling services
Escalate to the appropriate emergency services, if necessary
Maintain confidentiality as appropriate
Protect themselves while performing their role

We support our MHFAs by providing peer to peer networks, access to the Employee Assistance Programme for advice, and ongoing support from the Health and Wellbeing team.

Our Mental Health First Aides had more than 12,000 interactions and conversations between June 2021 and December 2024.

“I felt empowered to carry out this role and feel confident in offering support and knowing where I can find the tools to help others” Mental Health First Aider

A film to support conversations around suicide

If you are interested in having Mental Health First Aiders within your organisation you can speak to someone and request a prospectus at [email protected]

If you need someone to talk to you about your own mental health please call the Samaritans on 116 123

Why we launched our Mental Health First Aid programme

We know that early intervention when it comes to mental health support is crucial. Throughout the pandemic more and more studies reported the risk of healthcare staff developing mental health problems due to their line of work. We wanted to create access to support for our staff.

MHFA England is the only recognised accreditation by the Department of Health to support people in a mental health crisis. The Trust’s team developed an in-house training programme so any member of staff could become a Mental Health First Aider. The training acts as an intervention for someone’s own wellbeing as well as a preventive measure for someone experiencing poor mental health.

“I lead a team of nurses and learning facilitators who support health care support workers new to care and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. I decided to train as a Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) as I found my role required additional pastoral care skills and I had a particular interest in supporting mental health.

“There was a particular time where a colleague shared that they were practicing self-harm. The skills and knowledge I learned on the MHFA two-day course gave me the confidence to have a proper conversation, support the individual and signpost to additional services. Due to the positive experience of opening up, the colleague felt empowered to disclose this information to their newly appointed line manager where they also received a caring and compassionate response. This in turn has allowed them to thrive within their new role.

“This is just one of many cases I have encountered and have now encouraged the rest of my team to attend the MHFA training. It is very clear the skills and knowledge gained from this training has not only helped me personally but enhanced my team’s ability to carry out their roles with compassion and confidence.”

Amy, Lead Nurse