Meet Gemma: Our First Mental Health Champion

Meet Gemma Irving, one of our pharmacists at QE Facilities and a Mental Health Champion for the Outpatient Pharmacy. Gemma wants to share why having this resource is crucial and why every team should appoint a mental health champion.

"Protecting our mental health at work is so important, as it has a huge effect on how we feel at home too, and it can also affect our physical health. For our teams, it can improve staff retention, performance and satisfaction, as well as reducing sickness absence.

I have found the Mental Health First Aid training so useful, and I think it's especially important for line managers to train as Mental Health First Aiders, as they set the standard for the rest of the team.

Completing the training means you are better equipped to handle situations related to mental health, whether it's amongst colleagues, patients, friends, family or the general public, as you are given a framework for having difficult conversations. You're also given access to support from the MHFA app and community to protect your own wellbeing too."

We would love to see an uptake in mental health champions across all of our departments! As a Mental Health Champion, you'll receive specialised training to offer support and help connect your colleagues with the resources they need. Your empathy and understanding could make a world of difference to someone struggling silently.

If you work for QE Facilities and you'd like to become a mental health champion and be a part of a supportive community dedicated to promoting mental well-being for all please follow the link below: https://www.balancegateshead.com/mental-health-development-opportunities-in-2024/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1tygy-3DXVLptFla4W-AkziKLMcQMgeSToIZBGR9gcUzTIIjMuh2LwT1I_aem_AdKw9I_-Teb4pw17YpR777cToThoNsIql53rfIKS8SFPcJKZlPF9lIXlcJHnPMQeOg8iLj3ipGv1Xpmo6eJt_sx7