| Launched by Sarah Albon, chief executive of the Health and Safety Executive, at the HSE Health and Work Conference earlier this month, Working Minds raises awareness about how to recognise and respond to the signs of stress to protect workers and support good mental health to help people to stay well. Work-related stress is now the number one cause of employee sickness absence, with major factors causing work-related stress including workload pressures - tight deadlines, too much responsibility and a lack of managerial support. Whether you are a GP practice, a hospital, or a care home, the law requires every employer to assess the risk of work-related stress and to put measures in place to tackle it. Our campaign partners Working with partner organisations, including the Homecare Association, Lifelines Scotland, Mind, Acas and Mates in Mind, we will provide businesses with relevant information and practical tools. Homecare Association CEO, Dr Jane Townson said: "The mental wellbeing of the homecare workforce is more important now than ever before. Homecare staff went above and beyond during the pandemic, often being the only point of contact for some of the most vulnerable in the community. They continue to go the extra mile for their clients, despite the care worker shortages which face the sector. "We must look after the mental wellbeing of our care workers, and we are proud to be working with the Health and Safety Executive to raise awareness of the Working Minds campaign". Project lead at Lifelines Scotland Gill Moreton said: "Lifelines Scotland is a project that aims to support the mental health and wellbeing of the emergency service community in Scotland. We recognise that people working and volunteering within emergency services are at risk of psychological injury - it's an occupational hazard." "In emergency services we can't always prevent exposure to potentially traumatic events, but we can create a work environment that promotes good mental health. Research tells us that supportive management, supportive teams work as really effective buffers for people in these high-risk roles." "We are delighted to be part of HSE's Working Minds campaign." Make it Routine Working Minds is aimed specifically at supporting small businesses by providing employers and workers with easy to implement advice that directs employers to Make it Routine by Reaching out, Recognising, Responding and Reflecting. Sharing personal experience is a powerful way of helping others to understand the real-life impacts of these issues. If you have an experience of work-related stress – either personally or managing stress as an employer – we'd love to hear from you. Please email campaigns@hse.gov.uk and a member of the team will be in touch. Find out more about the Working Minds campaign We also have NHS Stress Talking Toolkits available | 
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