Photo credit: Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England https://mhfaengland.org/mhfa-centre/press-office/press-resource/?id=7c8294c2-1da6-e811-8147-e0071b668081
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England has launched a public consultation on its draft Workplace Mental Health First Aid Standards, marking a major step towards setting consistent, evidence-based expectations for how organisations support mental health at work.
The proposed standards outline best practice for embedding Mental Health First Aid into workplace culture – from leadership and governance to training, debriefing and evaluation. They aim to move employers beyond ad-hoc provision of mental health training to a structured, strategic approach aligned with prevention and long-term wellbeing outcomes.
The launch comes as poor mental health continues to drive record levels of economic inactivity across the UK. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that more than half of people out of work due to long-term sickness report depression, anxiety, or related conditions. Mental ill health is now the leading cause of long-term absence, costing UK employers around £51 billion a year in lost productivity, sickness absence and turnover.
According to Deloitte’s 2024 Mental Health and Employers report, the highest returns on investment for employers come from early, organisation-wide interventions such as building inclusive cultures and promoting awareness. For every £1 invested, these strategies can generate a return of £6.30, reinforcing the case for preventative and structural approaches rather than reactive measures.
MHFA England’s Chief Executive, Sarah McIntosh, said the new standards are designed to help employers achieve exactly that shift.
“Support for mental health in workplaces remains inconsistent and too often reactive. Over the last 18 years we’ve seen how Mental Health First Aid can save lives and reduce stigma. For it to be truly effective, workplaces must fully embed it and take a whole-organisation approach. These standards are about setting a new benchmark, not box-ticking, but embedding prevention, early intervention and culture change into every workplace.”
Since 2007, MHFA England, a social enterprise and the only licensed provider of Mental Health First Aid in England, has trained more than 800,000 MHFAiders across over 20,000 workplaces. Its courses equip individuals to recognise the signs of common mental health conditions, start conversations, and guide colleagues towards appropriate support. The new standards are intended to ensure this support is implemented consistently, with proper infrastructure and governance behind it.
The consultation sets out clear expectations in several areas, including:
Governance and strategic commitment to mental health support
Recruitment, representation and role clarity for MHFAiders
Training, competency and professional development
Infrastructure, debrief and wellbeing support for MHFAiders
Reporting, evaluation and continuous improvement
Integration of Mental Health First Aid within broader workplace wellbeing strategies
The standards also encourage organisations to consider how their approach to mental health extends to customers, suppliers, and the wider community.
MHFA England said the process has drawn on insights from thousands of MHFAiders, instructors, and workplaces, alongside stakeholder organisations such as the Federation of Small Businesses, Institute of Directors, Royal College of Nursing, Business in the Community, Social Enterprise UK and the Association of Colleges.
The consultation supports the government’s focus on helping people stay in and return to work. The forthcoming Keep Britain Working review, expected later this year, will explore how better mental health support at work can address economic inactivity. MHFA England said the standards offer a practical mechanism for employers to deliver on that ambition.
The public consultation runs until Wednesday 10 December 2025. Responses are invited from employers, employees, policymakers, MHFAiders, instructors, trade unions, and mental health organisations. The final Workplace Mental Health First Aid Standards are expected to be published in 2026.
For more information or to respond to the consultation, visit mhfaengland.org
