Latest news with #MentalHealthandWellbeingStrategy
Pembrokeshire Herald
18-05-2025
- Health
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Ceredigion County Council new Chair elected for 2025-26
Initiative aims to tackle stigma and improve wellbeing across grassroots sport FOOTBALL clubs across Wales are being offered access to mental health awareness training as part of a nationwide drive to support players, coaches, and local communities. The initiative, backed by Mind Cymru, UK Coaching, and the Football Association of Wales (FAW), will provide around 1,000 e-learning course places to clubs. The training will equip coaches with the knowledge and confidence to better understand and support individuals experiencing mental health challenges. The announcement coincides with Mental Health Awareness Week (May 12–18), and follows the recent publication of the Welsh Government's Suicide and Self Harm Prevention Strategy and Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The course aims to break down stigma, address risk factors, and promote a positive sporting environment where mental wellbeing is prioritised. While the immediate focus is on raising awareness, Sport Wales is also developing a long-term preventative approach for the wider sporting sector. A launch event was held on Thursday (May 15) at Barry Town United FC, attended by former Wales goalkeeper and FAW ambassador Neville Southall, Sports Minister Jack Sargeant MS, and Barry Town Club Secretary David Cole. For Minister Sargeant, the campaign carries deep personal significance. He entered politics in the wake of his father Carl Sargeant's death by suicide in 2017, and in 2022, lost his best friend Jamie Wynne – a fellow football enthusiast – in similar circumstances. Speaking at the launch, he said: 'It means so much to me to help kick this programme off during Mental Health Awareness Week. 'This isn't an easy subject to speak about, but I know the importance of opening up. This is the best way I can honour Jamie, who believed so passionately in the power of grassroots football to bring people together. 'Sport – and football in particular – can be a powerful tool to reach those who might not otherwise seek help. If this training leads to even one meaningful conversation, it will have been worth it.' Wales men's national team Head Coach Craig Bellamy added his support: 'We all need to take the time to raise our awareness and understanding of mental health. This training will give clubs the tools to play their part, and I'd encourage every club in Wales to get involved.' Mental Health and Wellbeing Minister Sarah Murphy said the course has the potential to make a real difference: 'We want to build a culture where people feel safe to seek support without fear or judgement. 'This training can empower people to spot the signs, offer compassionate support, and help others access the services they need. It's about creating real change at every level of Welsh sport.'
Pembrokeshire Herald
18-05-2025
- Health
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Welsh football clubs to receive mental health awareness training
Initiative aims to tackle stigma and improve wellbeing across grassroots sport FOOTBALL clubs across Wales are being offered access to mental health awareness training as part of a nationwide drive to support players, coaches, and local communities. The initiative, backed by Mind Cymru, UK Coaching, and the Football Association of Wales (FAW), will provide around 1,000 e-learning course places to clubs. The training will equip coaches with the knowledge and confidence to better understand and support individuals experiencing mental health challenges. The announcement coincides with Mental Health Awareness Week (May 12–18), and follows the recent publication of the Welsh Government's Suicide and Self Harm Prevention Strategy and Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The course aims to break down stigma, address risk factors, and promote a positive sporting environment where mental wellbeing is prioritised. While the immediate focus is on raising awareness, Sport Wales is also developing a long-term preventative approach for the wider sporting sector. A launch event was held on Thursday (May 15) at Barry Town United FC, attended by former Wales goalkeeper and FAW ambassador Neville Southall, Sports Minister Jack Sargeant MS, and Barry Town Club Secretary David Cole. For Minister Sargeant, the campaign carries deep personal significance. He entered politics in the wake of his father Carl Sargeant's death by suicide in 2017, and in 2022, lost his best friend Jamie Wynne – a fellow football enthusiast – in similar circumstances. Speaking at the launch, he said: 'It means so much to me to help kick this programme off during Mental Health Awareness Week. 'This isn't an easy subject to speak about, but I know the importance of opening up. This is the best way I can honour Jamie, who believed so passionately in the power of grassroots football to bring people together. 'Sport – and football in particular – can be a powerful tool to reach those who might not otherwise seek help. If this training leads to even one meaningful conversation, it will have been worth it.' Wales men's national team Head Coach Craig Bellamy added his support: 'We all need to take the time to raise our awareness and understanding of mental health. This training will give clubs the tools to play their part, and I'd encourage every club in Wales to get involved.' Mental Health and Wellbeing Minister Sarah Murphy said the course has the potential to make a real difference: 'We want to build a culture where people feel safe to seek support without fear or judgement. 'This training can empower people to spot the signs, offer compassionate support, and help others access the services they need. It's about creating real change at every level of Welsh sport.'
Pembrokeshire Herald
13-05-2025
- Health
- Pembrokeshire Herald
RCN calls for urgent investment in mental health nursing as A&E crisis deepens
Patients in crisis waiting days for care as frontline nurses sound the alarm THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF NURSING is calling for urgent and sustained investment in the mental health nursing workforce after a UK-wide Freedom of Information (FOI) investigation revealed a sharp rise in the number of people attending emergency departments in mental health crisis. The findings, published today (May 13), come just days after the Welsh Government released its long-awaited Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy – a document the RCN warns must now be matched with meaningful action and funding. The FOI responses show a growing number of mental health patients waiting over 12 hours in A&E for appropriate support. Some patients have been forced to wait for up to three days in distress, often without access to specialist care. In Wales, the RCN says nursing staff are reporting dangerous and inhumane conditions. These include instances of vulnerable patients being monitored by security guards instead of qualified professionals, patients attempting suicide while awaiting treatment, and individuals leaving without receiving any care. Last month, RCN Wales joined BMA Cymru Wales in launching a petition calling on the Welsh Government to end the use of corridor care in hospitals and guarantee patients are treated with dignity and safety. RCN Wales warns that chronic underfunding of community mental health services, along with cuts to mental health beds, is placing unsustainable pressure on emergency departments. Without significant investment in specialist community nursing, the college says patients in crisis will continue to be funnelled into emergency departments that are unequipped to meet their needs. Speaking at the RCN's annual Congress in Liverpool next week, General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger is expected to call for 'urgent, massive and sustained investment in community mental health nursing'. She will also condemn the ongoing cuts to mental health beds as short-sighted and dangerous. The RCN is demanding: Improved access to education and training – NHS staff must be supported to access the professional development required for modern, safe care. – NHS staff must be supported to access the professional development required for modern, safe care. Capital investment in residential care – Many NHS mental health facilities are outdated and in disrepair. Patients deserve safe and therapeutic environments. – Many NHS mental health facilities are outdated and in disrepair. Patients deserve safe and therapeutic environments. Expansion of nurse staffing legislation – Section 25B of the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act should urgently be extended to mental health inpatient services. Helen Whyley, Director of RCN Wales, said: 'This report is a wake-up call. It is unacceptable that people in mental health crisis are being left for hours – sometimes days – in emergency departments that cannot meet their needs. The Welsh Government says mental health is a priority, but without real investment in mental health nursing, that promise is meaningless. We need urgent action to recruit, retain, and properly resource specialist nurses in our communities. Mental health patients deserve dignity, expertise and timely care – not queues, delays and despair.'
BBC News
29-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
'Ongoing progress' in Guernsey's mental health strategy report
Guernsey's Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy is seeing "ongoing progress" being made, the States its 2024 annual report, which was released on Tuesday, the States said the development of a mental health and wellbeing services directory was part of work taking strategy was approved two years ago in collaboration with the States of Guernsey, Primary Care and the charitable sector, and will continue until Marc Leadbeater, Chair of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Technical Team, said he was pleased with the progress highlighted in the first full annual report. 'Clear and accessible' The States said the strategy was made up of four pillars of work, including collating bailiwick datasets, early intervention, service improvements, and responding to recommendations of external said: "Work has begun to develop a directory of mental health and wellbeing services, as well as map an island-wide network of care pathways. "Once complete, the resources will provide clear and accessible information so residents can better understand how to navigate local mental health and wellbeing services, and understand the support that is available to them. "Alongside this project, work remains ongoing to develop information and guidance for people to safely access formally accredited private therapy on-island."The report showed the overall mental health strategy to be 42% complete, with 78% of actions started and 11% of actions Leadbetter said: "I am very pleased with the publication of the first full annual report on the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which highlights our progress made since its launch in September 2023. "I would like to thank all members of the technical team and supporting officers for their dedication and hard work in helping design and implement the strategy."
