On Thursday 25th November, The Duke of Cambridge attended The Royal Foundation’s Emergency Services Mental Health Symposium in London. The event saw 200 leaders from the emergency services from across all four nations come together for the first time to address the mental health of their workforces.
Hosted in partnership with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, National Fire Chiefs Council, Association of Ambulance Chief Executives and United Kingdom Search and Rescue , the Symposium included a live panel session involving emergency services leaders who spoke about their personal experiences of mental health, alongside keynote speeches by The Duke of Cambridge, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Mind CEO Paul Farmer.
During the event, The Duke announced that emergency services across each of the home nations had committed to a uniform approach to supporting the mental health of their emergency responder workforce.
The Commitment forms part of the Blue Light Together package of mental health support announced by The Duke at the event, which has seen The Royal Foundation working together with emergency service leaders and partner charities to change the workplace culture on mental health and provide specialist support to emergency responders and their families.
The Mental Health at Work Commitment for The Emergency Services means that every emergency service organisation in the UK will:
- Prioritise mental health in the workplace by developing and delivering a systematic programme of activity
- Proactively ensure work design and organisational culture drive positive mental health outcomes
- Promote an open culture around mental health
- Increase organisational confidence and capability
- Provide mental health tools and support
- Increase transparency and accountability through internal and external reporting
This Commitment forms part of the Blue Light Together package of mental health support for the Emergency Services, announced at the Symposium by The Duke of Cambridge. The Royal Foundation’s Blue Light Together programme of work has been supported by an Emergency Services Senior Leaders Board working in partnership with charity partners over the past year to identify solutions and share best practice to ensure that emergency responders and their families can access the advice and support relevant to the unique challenges they face.
