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 

PEMBS FRIENDS, an informal over-50s social group that meets fortnightly, invited two County Councillors to their latest gathering to discuss Social Care issues that affect their age group. County Councillors Anji Tinley and Huw Murphy responded to several passionately expressed concerns centred around two main issues.

The first issue raised was the poor level of transport available to older citizens in Pembrokeshire and the detrimental effects this has on their social lives and well-being. The second area of concern was the poor level of medical care at both GP surgeries and Hywell Dda Health Board levels. It was felt that, while there is excellent service from many medical staff, most of the procedures seemed to operate for the convenience of the system rather than in the interests of patients. One area of particular concern was the hoops that have to be jumped through to get a doctor’s appointment and the unhelpfulness of many reception staff. Another serious problem was the poor level of aftercare experienced by some on leaving hospital.

The Councillors thanked those present for raising these important issues and giving them an insight into the real problems faced by older people in rural areas. They promised to raise these issues wherever they could and to let the members know what is being done. They also stressed that it is important that people contact their local County Councillors to let them know of particular problems so that they can act on them, based on first-hand experiences

Heavy police presence, including dogs and drones, followed search for 23-year-old man

POLICE were seen in large numbers at a Pembrokeshire cemetery on Monday (April 20) as officers searched for a man who had fled following a domestic incident in Milford Haven the previous day.

Dyfed-Powys Police said they received a report of a domestic incident in Waterloo Square, Milford Haven, at around 10:00am on Sunday (April 19).

Officers attended, but during efforts to arrest a 23-year-old man, he fled the scene.

The Herald understands the search then moved to the Milford Haven Cemetery area on Monday, where a significant police presence was reported, including dog units, drones and several police vans.

The man was later arrested on suspicion of a domestic-related offence and escaping lawful custody.

He has since been released on bail while enquiries continue.