Wellbeing and mental health

Being open about your mental health helps create an honest environment around you. Our managers are here to provide support and talk about your mental health and if required, plan a way forward with you.

If for any reason you would rather not speak to your manager, you could speak to your People Advisor. You'll find their details on pages 8 and 9 of our Internal Directory, available on RyderNet. You can also get in touch with the People Admin team by calling 01491 640 905 or emailing peopleadmin@sueryder.org

We are on a journey to encourage people to talk more freely about mental health, reducing stigma and creating a more positive culture. We are proud to have a growing team of Mental Health First Aiders as a first point of contact to support the wellbeing of our colleagues.

Located across the organisation, our Mental Health First Aiders are in every hospice and neurological care centre, as well as in retail and support services, and you can reach out to any of them – it doesn't have to be the contact from your team. Their role is to be a point of contact for an employee who is experiencing a mental health issue or emotional distress. This interaction could range from having an initial conversation through to supporting the person to get appropriate help.

The Employee Assistance Helpline can provide you and your family with counselling and advice, covering a variety of personal or workplace issues. All calls are free and completely confidential.

We’re also partnered with the Retail Trust to provide emotional and physical support for retail colleagues. You can access this through your People Perks account, or via the trust’s free and confidential 24-hour helpline from your first day. We’ve recently upgraded our package for retail staff to include a host of new wellbeing features which will be available once you've started.

A number of external organisations have launched toolkits and information to support wellbeing. The NHS is running a campaign called 'Every Mind Matters' and mental health charity Mind has a range of resources and support available.

For healthcare colleagues in England, round-the-clock mental health support is available via Our Frontline, a combination of one-to-one support and online resources for all key workers. Frontline workers can call or text a trained volunteer and access online resources, toolkits and advice to support their mental health and emotional wellbeing.

In Scotland, the National Wellbeing Hub allows health and social care staff, volunteers and their families to access support when they need it and provides a range of self-care and wellbeing resources. As of July 2020, there is also a telephone support line available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Trained practitioners at NHS 24 offer callers a compassionate and empathic listening service based on the principles of psychological first aid, as well as advice, signposting and referral to local services if required. The helpline can be reached on 0800 111 4191.