Mental Health Time to Change summary, Kent

Time to Change is a national campaign which is raising awareness of mental health and trying to reduce the stigma of mental health at work. It calls on businesses to sign a Time to Change pledge which is a public declaration that they will proactively support their employees to maintain good mental health. Healthwatch Kent have signed the pledge as have many Kent organisations such as Kent County Council. However many more have not yet signed including all of the Kent Hospital Trusts.

Healthwatch Kent invited the Director of Time to Change along with all the Kent based organisations who had pledged, and many who had not, to discuss how they could work better together and make a difference to the thousands of people employed in Kent. 16 organisations attended the event and discussed ways to embed mental health awareness and understanding in their organisations.

Following the event, Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and Addaction agreed to sign the Time to Change pledge with other organisations considering the value of pledging. Kent Healthwatch and Porchlight have written to all the Live Well organisations, encouraging them to pledge.

Healthwatch Kent are also working with the STP Chief Executive office to encourage the remaining unpledged Clinical Commissioning Groups to sign up. All of the organisations present acknowledged the value of the event and have requested that the group meet again.