Only ½ of UK employers have a mental health policy in place

ONLY ½ of UK employers have a mental health policy in place, despite the fact that 97% of professionals believe their employer has a responsibility to support the mental health and wellbeing of staff.  The results come from a Robert Walters whitepaper ahead of:- 'World Mental Health Day,' on Wednesday, 10 October 2018. Neil Morgan, Associate Director at Robert Walters comments:- "Professionals believe (62%) that training for managers as mental health 'first aiders' is important, but our research found that only 38% of companies have such a policy in place. While formal policies are an important part of an effective mental health strategy, this should not be seen as a tick box exercise for companies. Professionals place a great deal of value on having managers who are aware of this as a general priority and have the capaCity to address it effectively."

Research undertaken by Robert Walters found a disparity between strategies that are considered:- 'important' by employees, and those that are offered by the employer. For example, 74% of professionals ranked the:- 'support for staff returning from (mental health related) absence' highly, whilst only 50% of companies provide this. Strategies such as remote working, which are widely offered by employers (71%), are considered less important in terms of contributing to mental wellbeing by professionals (60%). James Murray, Director at Robert Walters comments:- "Our survey revealed that over 3 quarters (76%) of professionals would be 'uncomfortable' discussing mental health at their place of work, for fear of damaging their career prospects. This is a major red flag and employers need to step up and consider how prominent a role they can play in encouraging their staff to be more open. By taking a proactive approach and leading by example, senior managers can play a key role in helping to develop the culture of their company to encourage discussion of mental wellbeing."

The tide also seems to be turning on hiring managers, who have been slow to react to the 88% of professionals who consider the mental health policies of a potential employer important when looking for a new role. Just 3% of companies mention their mental wellbeing strategies in job adverts.  42% of professionals admitted to seeking out information about a prospective employers mental wellbeing strategies via review sites, given that the majority of professionals (64%) stated it was 'difficult' to find such information on a company website.

University to lead the 1st UK wide survey into mental health in sport and physical activity

EDGE Hill University in partnership with DOCIAsport is launching the UK's 1st ever national survey into the mental health of people involved in sport. Questioning people (aged 16+) who work in sport from grassroots to professional level, and in the education and physical activity/lifestyle sectors, the results will reveal for the 1st time the state of mental health throughout the sports workforce. It will be the 1st time data of this kind will be collected and it's hoped thousands of thousands of leaders, employees and volunteers across the sport and physical activity sector will take part in the study.

Great Britain Paralympian, Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson, is backing the survey after she chaired the Government's Duty of Care in Sport Review in 2017. She said:- "The mental health of the sport sector was a vitally important component of the terms of reference of the review. I am delighted that Edge Hill University and DOCIAsport have launched this survey which will help inform strategies and policies relating to wellbeing for all involved in delivering sport and activity in the UK. While the ability to discuss these issues has become more positive in recent times, there is still much to be done to ensure that people are supported to reach their potential."

Supported by the Sport and Recreation Alliance, the short 10 minute survey will be shared across sport and physical activity organisations, national governing bodies and other groups including charities and universities.

Edge Hill Professor of Sport and Physical Activity, Andy Smith, who contributed to the 2017 review, said:- "Mental health and illness are increasingly recognised as being important in sport and physical activity, yet little data exists on the mental health of the workforce in the sector and how prevalent mental illness and mental health help seeking is. Through this survey and the interviews we hope to conduct, we'll be able to shed new light on mental health in the UK sport and physical activity workforce and be able to identify variations between sports and different job/volunteer roles which is an important starting point for better understanding this complex area. Ultimately our findings will enable us to make recommendations on how organisations in the sport and physical activity sector can better support their employees' mental health and how effective forms of training and support can be developed."

Ian Braid, founder of DOCIAsport (Duty of Care in Action in sport) and former CEO of the British Athletes Commission, and who himself has experienced mental illness, said:- "The need to address mental health in the sport and physical activity sector was 1 of the driving forces behind setting up DOCIAsport and for collaborating with Edge Hill University on this important project. This is the 1st survey of its kind, especially in its broad definition of "workforce" which rightly includes all manner of roles and volunteer positions. I look forward to the results in 2019 which will ultimately help inform future policies and practice."

To read more about the project and complete the survey, please visit:- EdgeHill.AC.UK.

Drivers in North West failing to wear glasses behind the wheel

ALMOST 80% of drivers surveyed, who are legally required to wear glasses or contact lenses, are not wearing them while driving, a survey has found. The survey, commissioned by international charity Sightsavers, aims to raise awareness of the lack of access to eye care faced by an estimated 1 billion people in developing countries. It reveals that 35% of drivers in the UK required to wear glasses or contact lenses by law say they forget to wear them on most days they are driving and 27% forget every week. Most people (83%) agree it should be compulsory for all drivers to have regular eye test. Sightsavers argues that the human cost for uncorrected refractive error, the need for glasses, is greater than most people realise.

One area where the cost is stark is road safety. The charity is working in India to reach ½ a million truck drivers to minimise road accidents over the next 3 years. More than 200,000 people are estimated to be killed on India's roads each year. In 2016 Sightsavers screened over 17,500 truck drivers across India and found that 46.7% of the ones who were driving without glasses needed them to see clearly. In a smaller study, almost 63% of drivers who took part in the programme said they had difficulty seeing distant objects and just over 37% reported difficulty reading. 7,600 truckers have received free glasses as part of the programme to improve road safety as well as their quality of life. Dr Sandeep Buttan, Sightsavers' eye health expert who worked on the programme said:- "There are 9 million truck drivers and transporters in India; it is a huge industry here. We identified truck drivers as a group in need of eye care because they are travelling long distances, often in unsafe conditions and with little job security. Eye care awareness was really low. Truckers are not covered by the existing eye care services which are often far from their travel routes and don't fit into their work schedules. Some truckers had other eye disorders and diseases that needed to be referred to Hospital. All parties were very receptive to the need for eye health. It has already made an impact and has huge potential to achieve more."

It is estimated that 89% of the 1.2 billion people with visual impairments live in low and middle income countries, where it can be hard to see a doctor or be treated. Dominic Haslam, Sightsavers' Director of Programme Strategy said:- "Treating people for something as simple as refractive error is not often seen as lifesaving and yet we know there are millions of drivers on main roads around the world who can't see properly. This issue affects all of us, in every country of the world. The biggest difference for people in developing countries is that they are less likely to have access to good quality eye health services, even glasses. These low and middle income countries are also the ones who are hit hardest by road traffic accidents and fatalities."

This World Sight Day Sightsavers are raising awareness about eye care issues so that everyone, everywhere has access to good eye health. To learn more visit:- Sightsavers.Org/World-Sight-Day.