Free mental health training for the community pharmacy workforce

Published 5/10/2023

Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) is offering free mental health training for the community pharmacy workforce:

• Mental Health Awareness e-learning module
• First Aid for Mental Health training

This comes following an update in the 2023/24 contract for community pharmacy. The contract states:

“all pharmacy employees involved in the provision of NHS pharmaceutical services at the pharmacy should complete the HEIW Mental Health awareness e-learning.”

and

“one pharmacy employee involved in the provision of NHS pharmaceutical services at the pharmacy will be supported to undertake first aid for mental health training”.

The courses are available online and in-person, in a range of locations across Wales.

HEIW, is offering one free space for one person from each community pharmacy team in Wales, to attend a First Aid for Mental Health training course. If you meet the criteria, we encourage you to register and complete the required training whilst it is available.

Katherine Beach, a Pharmacy Technician attended the First Aid for Mental Health training. She said:

“I found it extremely helpful and informative, I thoroughly enjoyed the day. It was also interesting to have a greater depth of knowledge around the impact poor mental health can have on an individual and how this may present so differently from person to person.”

Each year, an estimated 1 in 4 people in the UK experience a mental health condition. And at least 1 in 6 employees experience common mental health problems in the workplace. Therefore, giving community pharmacy employees the skills and knowledge to help, support and signpost people to appropriate services has become increasingly important.