Mental Health First Aid England

We are a social enterprise, a company without shareholders. We offer expert guidance and training to support mental health, in the workplace and beyond.

We all have mental health. Better mental health is good for everyone and recognising this is good for society.

We want a society where everyone can thrive. We believe in zero stigma surrounding mental health. We want mental health to be openly discussed and supported.

We want our training to create an unshakable belief that we can all talk freely about mental health and seek support when we need it. We will achieve this through our mission to train one in ten people in mental health awareness and skills.

Our mission is to train one in ten people in mental health awareness and skills.

Through our training and campaigning, we equip people with the skills they need to support their own and others’ wellbeing.

We offer a range of evidence-based face to face and digital learning, from awareness raising to skill development. Our courses empower people to notice signs of mental ill health, and encourage them to break down barriers, listen in a non-judgemental way, and signpost to support for recovery.

The MHFA England framework (right) shows how our training promotes equality between mental health and physical health. Click on the diagram for more information.

Our leadership

MHFA England is led by our Chief Executive, Simon Blake OBE, and our executive team: Fionuala Bonnar, Eleanor Miller, and Sarah McIntosh. Adah Parris is our Chair. Our Patron is Kamlesh Patel, Professor The Lord Patel of Bradford OBE.

Our central team

We have a dedicated central team of about 100 members of staff, based at our head office in London.

Our history

Mental Health First Aid training came to England in 2007. The Department of Health: National Institute of Mental Health in England (NIMHE) developed and launched the programme as part of a national approach to improve public mental health.

We are a Licensed Provider of Mental Health First Aid training from MHFA International. Based in Australia, MHFA International is a not-for-profit organisation that develops, delivers and evaluates accredited mental health training programmes.

The Mental Health First Aid programme began in Australia in 2000, and has since evolved into a global movement that is delivered by an active community of licensed providers in 24 countries. To date, over 4 million people worldwide have been trained.

Why use Mental Health First Aid England?

• We are proud to be recognised on the UK Social Enterprise Roll of Honour 2020 for our social impact supporting the mental health of the nation during the pandemic.

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