Providing training for reps

The Chartered Society for Physiotherapists (CSP) recently developed and delivered a training package for stewards and safety reps on supporting members with mental health problems. The course aimed to arm them with knowledge about:

• how members with mental health problems are discriminated against in the workplace;

• employer responsibilities;

• effective preventative strategies to reduce mental-health-related sickness absence;

• how to utilise the safety rep’s role when working with stewards supporting individual members; and

• how occupational health services should work.

The training included a multiple choice quiz/scenario which required reps to consider how they would feel and react in the workplace both as an individual coming back to work, or as part of the team working with that person. It used case studies to highlight how they could use the law, with one on stress and excessive hours. And it included group discussions on encouraging a “mentally healthy workplace” utilising the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance, Promoting mental wellbeing through productive and healthy working conditions: guidance for employers (www.nice.org.uk/PH22).

The union is currently developing advice sheets based on course materials, including:

• what is mental health?

• employer’s legal responsibilities

• the role of occupational health

It is also developing a training module using the findings of the Francis Inquiry report into serious failings at the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Hospital — particularly in relation to instilling a safety culture and having clinical impact risk assessments undertaken on restructuring proposals.

Commenting on the Francis Inquiry, CSP National Health and Safety Officer Donna Steele said:

“While his focus is primarily on patient care/safety, we feel there is a strong correlation between effective industrial relation practices and good patient care/experiences. To this end we are keen on looking at how to get employers to utilise the HSE stress management standards as part of the risk assessment process on change. This would require them to properly access workload capacity (clinical impact), review past experiences and hold meaningful consultation processes with staff.”

The union is also trying to ensure that safety reps are more actively involved in restructuring and to work more closely with their stewards in the process. Steele told LRD:

“With safety reps having rights under the Safety Reps and Safety Committee Regulations to be consulted on significant health and safety changes and to conduct inspections we feel that by doing a stress survey of members as part of the change consultation process it can assist members through providing evidence of a potential problem or hazard that can then assist in triggering a risk assessment on stress levels.”

The CSP also promotes the NHS Staff Council Workplace health and safety standards. These have a section on what employer should do as good practice on reducing stress. The updated 2013 version is endorsed by the HSE and is available on the NHS employers website www.nhsemployers.org/Aboutus/Publications/Documents/workplace-health-safety-standards.pdf

“We use it as a key resource on all our safety rep induction courses now,” the union reports.

The rail union RMT is piloting a new three-day Mental Health Awareness course in spring 2014. The course covers:

• mental health and society, an overview (linked to the cuts agenda);

• what is mental health?

• images and impacts of mental ill-health (work, union and society);

• workplace discrimination;

• equality law — (focus mainly on disability discrimination);

• case studies — negotiating on mental health;

• stress an overview;

• introduction to research projects;

• delivery of mental health research project;

• explore remedies;

• planning to support RMT reps; and

• action planning for mental health in the workplace.