EAPA backs pioneering new mental health campaign: Every Mind Matters

EAPA backs pioneering new mental health campaign: Every Mind Matters

A national mental health campaign aiming to empower people to look after their own mental health will launch on national television this evening with the help of the Dukes and Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex.

Every Mind Matters has been launched today, October 7, with the help of the young royals who lent their voices to a short film, which also features a line-up of famous names whose lives have been affected in the past by poor mental health. They include Davina McCall, Freddie Flintoff and Glenn Close.

The short film was written by Richard Curtis, directed by Rankin, and will be broadcast simultaneously in ad breaks on ITV, Channel 4 and Sky, reaching millions of viewers in what is believed to be a broadcaster first.

The ground-breaking new platform is being launched by the NHS and Public Health England (PHE) as a new way of empowering people to manage and improve their mental health. This follows a PHE survey of more than 3,000 people showing that in the last twelve months, more than eight in ten have experienced early signs of poor mental health including feeling anxious, stressed, having low mood or trouble sleeping.

Every Mind Matters is a tool which is available for the public and GPs to advise their patients to use. It will allow people to build simple changes in their lives, such as reframing unhelpful thoughts, breathing exercises and increasing physical activity.

Launched after 18 months of planning, Every Mind Matters marks an increasing recognition that taking care of our mental health is as important as maintaining good physical health.

While symptoms such as poor sleep and stress can be a natural response to life’s challenges, they can also become more serious if people don’t take action – and many wait too long.

EAPA has long advocated the importance of looking after mental health and encourages organisations with EAPs in place for their staff to promote usage of EAP services as part of an overall mental health wellbeing strategy.

Eugene Farrell, EAPA chair, said: “Mental Health has become an important issue to employers and EAPA welcomes this much needed public campaign designed to promote and support good mental health.”

Every Mind Matters is also backed by a coalition of mental health charities and champions, including Mind, Mental Health Foundation, MHFA (Mental Health First Aid) England, Samaritans, Heads Together, Centre for Mental Health, Rethink, Time to Change, NSUN (National Survivor User Network) What Works Centre for Wellbeing and Good Thinking. It is also being promoted by the NHS to its one million-plus workforce.

Some of the nation’s biggest companies from the high street, entertainment, sport and finance have pledged to adopt Every Mind Matters for their employees, customers and fans. These include Santander, Greggs and the England and Wales Cricket Board, who will be empowering their staff and the public to take their mental health into their own hands and encouraging them to create their own action plan.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Our health – both mental and physical – is an asset that needs to be nurtured. We’re all aware of the benefits of looking after our physical health and the steps we can take to keep ourselves healthy, but many of us are not as knowledgeable or proactive as we could be when it comes to our mental health.

“Every Mind Matters will benefit us all with an accessible tool to help manage our wellbeing at the click of a button. It will offer vital support to those living with a mental health condition and give each of us valuable and personalised tips on how to better cope with life’s daily struggles, while contributing to tackling the stigma that can still surround mental health.”

To discover simple steps for a healthier mind, you can create your bespoke action plan at: www.everymindmatters.co.uk