Council agrees it’s ‘time to change’
Test Valley Borough Council has demonstrated its commitment to tackling mental health stigma in the workplace by signing up to the Time to Change Employer Pledge.
Chief executive of TVBC Roger Tetstall, together with leader, councillor Phil North, signed the Time to Change pledge, which is run by charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness.
A wellbeing group, which includes staff from various areas of the council, has been set up at the authority to promote wellbeing, including mental health. As part of the pledge, the wellbeing group has developed an action plan outlining what TVBC will do to further promote mental wellbeing.
On June 6, speaker David Beeney gave a talk at the council’s Beech Hurst offices about his mental health awareness campaign, ‘Breaking the silence’, which is aimed at de-stigmatising mental health at work.
Chief executive of TVBC, Roger Tetstall said: “Tackling the stigma that surrounds mental health is vitally important. It is imperative that the council is an enjoyable place to work, because that makes for a high performing organisation which is better able to serve our residents.
“A lot has been done over recent years to try to break down various walls and staff have worked incredibly hard to develop a variety of ideas and initiatives. I’m looking forward to seeing the progress from the wellbeing group and those involved deserve a huge amount of credit.”
Leader, councillor Phil North, added: “Mental health in the workplace and in everyday life is so crucial and therefore I’m delighted that the council has signed up to this fantastic initiative. I’m sure this is just the beginning as we take this next step to support staff and showcase how important an issue this is.”
The Time to Change campaign was launched in 2007 and is aimed at changing the attitudes towards mental health with more than 100,000 organisations having signed up to date.