South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust today celebrated a major milestone in its mental health awareness programme, having now trained 200 people in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) courses.
The achievement was marked with a special training session delivered for Healthwatch colleagues, and office staff working for Members of Parliament representing constituencies across South West London.
Mental Health First Aid is an internationally recognised training course delivered by MHFA England and is designed to teach people how to identify, understand, and help someone who may be experiencing a mental health issue on a first-aid basis.
The Trust’s training programme is supported by a special grant from NHS Charities Together’s COVID-19 Urgent Appeal Fund which raised over £150 million during the pandemic. The fund continues to be allocated to support local projects that make a difference to the lives of patients, volunteers, communities and NHS staff.
Commenting on today’s course at Springfield Hospital, Saoirse McGrory-Greene, Senior Case Worker, in Paul Kohler MP’s office said: “I’m delighted to have completed this training course. In our team we can often find ourselves acting as a first point of contact for local constituents experiencing mental ill heath, and today has been invaluable in giving me the knowledge and the confidence to be able to hold a supportive conversation and signpost to local support.”
Iyinoluwa Oshinowo, Engagement Coordinator for South West London Healthwatch Collaborative said: “Mental health training is a vital tool in fostering compassionate, supportive communities and I am really pleased to have been able to play a small part in that through joining today’s course. By equipping everyone with the knowledge and skills to respond to mental health challenges, we can create safer, more inclusive spaces where everyone feels seen, heard, and supported.”
