Good Practice

MINDFUL EMPLOYER^® is researching and collating examples of good practice in relation to the employment of people with mental health issues. This includes work by employers, NHS and other health and social care organisations, learning and work services and others. If you have a contribution you would like to make then please contact us.

Staff Surgeries
In 2007, Gloucestershire Partnership Foundation NHS Trust took a pro-active response to feedback from staff and union representatives that communication and staff involvement needed to be reviewed and improved. Union representatives were keen to support a range of initiatives which included as a first step, addressing pay concerns through the concept of a ‘Staff Surgery’. The concept of ‘Staff Surgeries’ was extended to encompass issues which anecdotally appeared to causing concern or were ‘topical’. These have been running bi-monthly and are supported by the Trust and union representatives and will continue in 2008. Issues addressed include balancing work and carer responsibilities (targeted in advance of Carers Rights Day), the range of flexible working options available and aspects of the national terms and conditions and how this applied to individuals. During 2008 the Trust will endeavour to evaluate the effectiveness of offering Staff Surgeries. For more information contact Carol Sparks, Deputy HR Director

Charter signatory awarded Gold Standard
In 2007, Plymouth Teaching Primary Care Trust was awarded the Employers Forum on Disability Gold Standard, coming first in the NHS Sector and eighth overall against all other employers in the UK who took part in the ‘Benchmark for Action’. Sue Behenna, Human Resources Manager says “The Gold Standard is not given out lightly and is a tremendous achievement for the PCT. The Disability Standard is the largest management tool in the world that enables organisations to benchmark its performance on disability and put in place action plans that deliver real organisational improvements.” There are both public and private sector versions of the Disability Standard and the entire process is cost-effective and easy to complete. 
The PCT has retained the Disability Symbol (Two Ticks) since 1996 and in 2005 became a MINDFUL EMPLOYER Charter signatory and this has helped the Trust to improve its disability confidence. The Employer’s Conference on Disability were particularly impressed by the innovative work that the Trust had done to set up a Coffee Shop in its new Local Care Centre run by users of the Trust’s Mental Health Services.  An idea born at a WorkWAYS/SWEMPNET Conference in 2005. The conference proved to be an excellent vehicle for sharing ideas and developing new ones and the idea for staffing the Coffee Shop with service users and Routeways grew out of a conversation between Sue and Sharon Claridge, Vocational Services Manager, also of the PCT.
Sue Behenna and Sharon Claridge can be contacted on 01752 272397 and 01752 300237 respectively for further information.

All the documents shown below are in pdf format - click on the bold text to download or link to website. If you haven't got Adobe Reader to open pdf files then click on the logo to the left of this screen - the software is free. If for any reason you have difficulty accessing or reading these documents then please contact us.

What Works, What Doesn't
A collation of comments from group discussions at a Mindful Employment Practice event in March 2006 sponsored by the then Disability Rights Commission and the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health and supported by National Institute for Mental Health England in the South West and MINDFUL EMPLOYER. Delegates were HR/Personnel, Occupational Health and Equality & Diversity specialists from a broad range of public sector employers in the South West. What Works, What Doesn't offers examples of current employment practice and a stimulus for supporting employees who have mental health issues, their colleagues and managers. Published by MINDFUL EMPLOYER.

Mindful Employment Practice Resource List
The former Disability Rights Commission (now Equality & Human Rights Commission) and the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health together with MINDFUL EMPLOYER have produced this information on the employment of people with mental health problems, reducing stress, job retention, and contains a list of organisations and networks. Updated August 2007.

Working for Health
'Working for Health’ conferences took place in May & December 2006 and brought together GPs and employers. This document (which is a revision of the one published in May 2006) brings together some of the common issues raised by delegates about links between GPs and employers and in managing sickness absence together. It offers statements on good practice and suggestions to assist in building on and improving current procedures.