ST JOHN AMBULANCE CYMRU has unveiled a range of new courses to help transform the nation’s wellbeing and create a ‘mentally healthy Wales,’ to combat a crisis that currently costs the UK economy millions of lost workdays.

The first aid charity for Wales, which trains hundreds of people in Mental Health First Aid each year, is calling on businesses to integrate it into the core of their operations, treating it with the same lifesaving urgency as physical first aid.

In a recent interview for the St John Ambulance Cymru podcast, Just in Case: Stories from St John, the charity’s Lead Trainer, Belinda James, highlighted the staggering economic and human cost of the current mental health crisis and noted that approximately 17 to 18 million workdays are lost annually due to mental health struggles.

James said the statistics, published by the Health and Safety Executive, were “surprising and upsetting.”

She added: “You think for all of those statistics, for all of those numbers, there’s a person, there are people at the heart of that, who are at home not able to work because they are struggling.”

While physical injuries are often visible, mental health challenges frequently manifest in subtle behavioural shifts. James emphasised that “knowing your colleagues well” is the first line of defence in identifying when someone is in distress.

“If it’s normal for me to be quite chirpy, to be early, to be on the ball first thing in the morning… and then I come in, and I look bedraggled, and I look stressed, and I’m snappy… that would be a good time to just say, is everything all right?”

She noted that other “hidden signs” include withdrawal, changes in eating or sleeping habits, and increased substance use, such as stepping out for more frequent cigarette breaks.

The push for better training comes as society navigates a generational divide in how mental health is discussed. James noted that workplaces are currently “caught in the mix” of the “make do and mend” generation and the younger “snowflake” generation.

“We live in a society that’s like, ‘Oh God, no, don’t address that. Don’t talk about the hard stuff. Chin up,” James observed.

However, she argued that directness is often what saves lives. “It is so much more validating to hear somebody say to you, ‘You are going through a really tough time at the moment. I’m so sorry. That must be very difficult to handle.”

As the UK faces gaps in mental health service provision, many individuals are turning to Artificial Intelligence for support – a trend James views with caution. While AI can be a “fantastic tool for signposting,” she warns that it lacks the essential component of empathy.

“It cannot understand human emotion. It won’t pick up on a human emotion,” she said. “The last thing that we want is for them to be led astray by an AI language program that cannot understand the depths of human emotion”.

St John Ambulance Cymru provides Mental Health First Aid Wales-certified training designed to give people the skills to recognise signs of mental ill-health and provide initial support until professional help is received.

These courses are evidence-based and cover critical topics, including depression, anxiety, psychosis, and crises such as suicidal thoughts and panic attacks.

The curriculum includes:

• Mental Health First Aid (2 Days): The flagship 12-hour course teaching adults how to support friends, family, and co-workers. Participants learn the “Mental Health Action Plan” and gain the confidence to intervene in crises like non-suicidal self-injury or traumatic events.
• Mental Health Advocate (1 Day): A course for those looking to proactively champion wellbeing and reduce stigma in their organization.
• Mental Health Awareness (1/2 Day): A foundational session to build empathy and understanding of what mental health is.
• Mental Health for Managers: Specifically designed to help leadership recognise indicators of stress and manage the unique pressures of supporting a team.

For more information on Mental Health First Aid training or to book a course, visit www.sjacymru.org.uk/en/courses/MHFA 

HYWEL DDA Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, is calling on local communities to help them provide comfort and support to families who have lost a child.

The charity is running a campaign this spring to highlight its Wish Fund which provides support to families during times of bereavement.

The Wish Fund supports Hywel Dda’s Paediatric Palliative Care team to provide personalised support to families of children and young people receiving palliative care, and helps them create treasured memories when their child sadly passes away. From hand moulds and fingerprint jewellery to memory boxes and specialist sibling support, the fund ensures bereaved families are not alone during the most devastating moments of their lives.

Frankie’s parents Phil and Veronica shared how the Wish Fund helped them during their darkest days:

“We had the absolute pleasure of looking after the most beautiful, awesome, wonderful, loving and brave little lad who was very poorly in the last years of his life.

“We met his Paediatric Palliative Care team two years before his passing and boy what an awesome team they are.

“We will never be able to thank the Wish Fund enough. Thanks to the Wish Fund, we had the most amazing mementos, a Christmas bauble, a necklace with Frankie’s fingerprint on it and a mould of his hand. Those simple objects are our most treasured possessions along with a lock of his beautiful hair.”

The Wish Fund relies on charitable donations, and every contribution can have a lasting impact:

• £15 provides a teddy for a bereaved sibling
• £30 funds a sibling support session
• £50 creates a hand mould keepsake
• £70 provides a Memory Box
• £85 funds bespoke hand‑printed jewellery

These meaningful items offer comfort to parents, carers and siblings who are navigating unimaginable loss.

Rebecca McDonald, Clinical Nurse Specialist – Paediatric Palliative Care, said: “I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has donated and continues to donate to the Wish Fund.

“Thanks to your kindness and generosity, we have been able to provide meaningful memory-making items and bereavement materials. These resources make an immeasurable difference in helping us support our families through the most difficult time.

“Your compassion and support truly help us bring comfort, dignity, and lasting memories to the families we care for. Thank you for your support in helping us make a big difference to families we support across our health board.”

To find out more or to donate to the Wish Fund, please visit: https://hywelddahealthcharities.nhs.wales/campaigns/the-wish-fund/ 

PLANS to convert a former art gallery to a dental surgery on the edge of a Pembrokeshire town have been refused.

In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, Ahmed Abouserwel, through agent A.D Architectural Design Consultants LTD, sought permission for a change of use of the former Kadinsky gallery, Redstone Road, Narberth, to a dental surgery, along with associated works.

A supporting statement said: “The existing open plan gallery space will be transformed into the main dentist area, with a glazed internal lobby, leading directly into the open reception / waiting area. There will be five treatment rooms accessed directly off the reception, with a private archive room behind the reception desk.

“The rear lean-to projection will be extended to the north to accommodate a proposed decontamination room and to re-model the Staff area and W.C provision (number to remain as existing).”

It said the proposal would create 10 full and three part-time jobs.

An officer report recommending refusal said concerns were raised by the county Highways authority, who having assessed the application on safety, capacity and policy considerations, recommended the application be REFUSED on the grounds of insufficient evidence provided.

“The submitted design and access statement and block plan indicate on-site parking provision for 16 vehicles, located to the north and west of the building. The application form states that the site will employ 10 full-time staff and three part-time staff. However, the submission does not differentiate between practitioners and ancillary/support staff.”

It said, on planning guidance, health centres require three spaces per practitioner; and one space per three ancillary staff, adding: “As the applicant has not provided a breakdown of staff roles, the Highway Authority is unable to assess whether the proposed parking provision is adequate.”

It stressed: “Whist there is no in-principle objection to the redevelopment of this established site for a dental surgery, insufficient information has been provided to fully assess the proposal.”

It was refused on the grounds including it would lead “to the unjustified loss of an employment premises in a location which contributes to the local supply of employment land and buildings,” adding: “Insufficient evidence has been submitted to demonstrate that the building is no longer suitable or viable for continued employment use, nor that there is overriding community need to justify its loss.”

It was also refused on the grounds that “Insufficient information has been submitted to demonstrate that the development would operate without giving rise to unacceptable highway safety impacts or on street parking pressure”.