Mental health webinar
“THERE has never been a more important time than now to talk openly and honestly about how we’re feeling, and to listen and take stock of how others are feeling.”
Those were the words of Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris, in his keynote speech at RAIL’s first ever webinar on June 29.
More than 450 people registered to join Supporting each other: mental health and the railway, which was broadcast in association with the 24-page mental health and wellbeing supplement published in RAIL 908.
In his opening address, Heaton-Harris paid tribute to the dedication, professionalism and passion shown by frontline rail staff in keeping fellow key workers and vital freight flows on the move since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic.
But he also acknowledged the increased mental strain that this has placed on rail staff, against a backdrop of more widespread feelings of stress and anxiety that have been experienced throughout the population since the start of lockdown measures on March 23.
“As a country, we’ve endured this upheaval, uncertainty and a new phenomenon - isolation - as we work together to stem the tide of this virus and save lives,” he said.
“It’s never been more crucial for everyone in this industry - from the cleaners to the signallers, engineers, drivers, station staff and everyone else - to get the right support for their mental health.”
He said that even without the pandemic, the facts were stark for an industry in which 60% of the workforce is thought to have experienced mental health issues.
The rate of suicide within the industry is also some 1.6 times higher than the national average, due to a variety of factors that are believed to include potential exposure to traumatic events such as deaths on the railway and a lack of female representation.
Heaton-Harris highlighted the gains that were being made to prevent suicide and to reduce stigma around mental health, through initiatives such as Samaritans’ Brew Monday events and its Small Talk Saves Lives campaign, which encourages people to intervene if they spot someone in distress.
The Million Hour Challenge volunteering initiative (see panel) was also singled out for praise, as were the 20,000 rail staff who have now received bespoke training from Samaritans in suicide prevention techniques.
Heaton-Harris added: “I’m so proud of the rail industry for tackling this issue head on and for showing that small talk really does save lives. Statistics show that last year there were nearly 2,000 lifesaving interventions on the railway and that six people were saved for each one who sadly took their own life.
“The industry has been driving real change to improve the quality of wellbeing support for anyone who works in it. I’d also like to say thank you to RAIL and the Office of Rail and Road for being the
driving forces behind this important discussion. It’s only by talking about mental health and keeping this conversation going that we are going to make real change.”
Other speakers included HM Chief Inspector of Railways Ian Prosser CBE and Network Rail’s Suicide Prevention Programme Manager Ian Stevens MBE.
There were also video presentations by both LNER and Southeastern on how train operating companies are playing their part to prevent suicide and to promote mental health and wellbeing.
Prosser and Stevens took part in a live Q&A at the end of the webinar, when they were also joined by LNER’s Inclusion and
Engagement Manager Jennie Pitt, Southeastern’s Head of Health and Wellbeing Alyna Jones, and Southeastern’s Mental Health Co-ordinator Lee Woolcott-Ellis. The webinar was chaired by
RAIL Managing Editor and Events Director Nigel Harris, who said: “RAIL has long supported the industry’s efforts to promote mental health and wellbeing. And rarely has it felt more relevant than at the present, as we grapple with the emotional strain posed by COVID-19, social distancing and the general lockdown of society.
“We therefore wanted to put together a powerful and relevant line-up of presentations from people who really know their subject, explaining the ‘why, what and how’ of industry efforts to better support one another and to tackle the stigma that sadly still persists around mental health.
“I’d like to thank everyone for joining us and participating in
RAIL’s first webinar, and hope it was both informative and useful.”
For those who missed it, recordings of the presentations can be accessed online by visiting: