Table of Contents
The Workplace Mental Health First Aid Standards from MHFA England explain how employers can build effective support beyond the training room. This guide explores the nine Standards, how they differ from legal duties, and practical steps for MHFAider roles, confidentiality, escalation and ongoing support.
What are workplace mental health first aid standards?
Many organisations train Mental Health First Aiders and then leave them to it. Without clear leadership, time and support, people drift away from the role and colleagues stop knowing who to approach. The Standards from MHFA England are designed to stop that happening.
A voluntary framework, not a new duty
MHFA England launched its Workplace Mental Health First Aid Standards on 6 October 2026. They are a voluntary framework to help employers keep provision going after training. They do not create a new legal duty to appoint MHFAiders.
Within the framework, MHFA England separates provisions it classifies as “required” from those it calls recommended good practice. Neither label makes an item a statutory obligation. “Required” means required if you want to adopt the Standards, not required by law.
Existing employer duties
UK law does not generally require employers to appoint an MHFAider, use MHFA England training or keep a set staffing ratio. The wider duties still apply, though.
In Great Britain, these duties arise under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Northern Ireland has its own framework under the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000. According to the HSE, employers must assess work-related stress risks and reduce them as far as reasonably practicable. Employers with five or more workers must record the assessment and review it when it is no longer valid or after a significant change.
Some mental health conditions can meet the Equality Act 2010 definition of disability in Great Britain, and reasonable adjustments then apply. In Northern Ireland, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 provides equivalent protection.
Action on causes at work
Mental health first aid works alongside action on hazards, not instead of it. HSE’s Management Standards identify six areas to examine when you assess work-related stress: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change.
Excessive workloads, bullying, unclear responsibilities and badly managed change need management action. If MHFAiders keep hearing the same complaint about one team’s workload, the answer is to redesign the work, not to arrange more supportive conversations.
Salusphere Global supports employers with wellbeing strategy, workplace risk management, assessments and consultancy, and connects that work to the psychosocial risks behind poor workplace mental health.
What do the nine MHFA Standards ask of employers?
MHFA England groups its nine Standards into four phases. The phases are meant to repeat as a cycle rather than be completed once. Here is what each phase involves in practice.
Phase one builds the foundations
The first phase sets up governance and the MHFAider network. Under Standard 1, mental health and wellbeing need to be part of your people or wellbeing strategy, with a clear explanation of where MHFA fits. This keeps peer support inside a wider workplace mental health strategy instead of standing alone.
- A written MHFA policy: sets out responsibilities, support routes and escalation arrangements.
- A designated MHFA lead: looks after the network, training logistics, support and reporting.
- Recruitment and role descriptions: Standard 2 asks for willing participants, with a clearly explained recruitment approach. Each MHFAider receives a written role description covering scope, boundaries, confidentiality, escalation, time commitment and support.
The policy should link MHFA to the way managers already deal with stress, adjustments, absence and return to work. These responsibilities stay with managers and HR. Our guide to writing a workplace mental health policy shows how to divide them up.
Coverage depends on your size.
- More than 50 employees: the framework requires at least one MHFAider per 50 employees.
- Aspirational benchmark: one per 25 employees is recommended. It is not a statutory ratio.
- Fewer than 50 employees: the focus is on everyone being able to reach at least one MHFAider easily, rather than applying the ratio mechanically.
- Small employer lead: an owner, HR lead or supported manager can take the MHFA lead role.
Numbers are only a starting point. Check whether shifts, remote working, multiple sites, languages or staff preferences mean you need extra contact routes. For example, one MHFAider who works office hours cannot cover a night shift.
Phase two: building you MHFAider network
Standard 3 covers training and awareness. MHFAiders need internationally accredited, evidence-based, instructor-led training, with a refresher or full course every three years, or as the relevant accrediting body recommends.
Managers also need to understand MHFA, the MHFAider’s role, how to support MHFAiders in their team and how to refer colleagues for help. This does not necessarily require a formal course; a clear briefing may be sufficient.
Standard 4 covers the practical arrangements that allow MHFAiders to carry out their role: protected working time, suitable spaces for conversations, clear confidentiality boundaries and routes for escalating safety concerns.
Phase three: keeping it working
Standard 5 focuses on supporting MHFAiders themselves. This includes regular opportunities for peer support and debriefing, wellbeing check-ins and the freedom to pause or step down without pressure or penalty.
Standard 6 covers feedback, monitoring and improvement. MHFAiders need a way to share feedback and contribute to wellbeing plans. Any activity logs must contain no identifiable information, and logging must never be a condition of receiving support.
An annual review, defined success measures, regular reporting and an improvement plan are recommended to help employers understand whether provision is working.
Phase four: embedding MHFA in your culture
Phase four looks beyond the network itself. Standard 7 covers how visible MHFAiders are and how they contribute to a wider mental health culture. Standard 8 covers wider employee mental health support. Standard 9 asks you to decide and document any remit MHFAiders have with customers or service users.
How should roles, confidentiality and escalation work?
Confusion about the role can cause real problems with MHFA provision. MHFAiders, managers and staff all need to understand where support starts and stops, and what happens next.
What can Mental Health First Aiders do?
Mental Health First Aiders give initial, non-clinical support. They do not replace GPs, counsellors, occupational health professionals or emergency services. Decisions about the workplace stay with managers and HR.
- Listen: without judgement and without trying to give a clinical view.
- Talk: hold supportive conversations about mental health.
- Signpost: point colleagues to a GP, occupational health, an EAP (employee assistance programme), NHS services or specialist support.
- Hand over: pass questions about workplace changes to the right manager.
Signposting depends on the circumstances and on what support you actually have available. That is why the list of resources needs to stay up to date. This layered approach is described further in our guide to practical workplace mental health interventions.
Setting confidentiality boundaries
MHFA conversations should be handled sensitively, but confidentiality cannot be promised without limits. Your policy should explain when a serious safety concern has to be escalated and who may receive the information they need.
Acas advises employers to tell staff who will receive information about their mental health and why. It also advises not sharing that information without permission unless there is a good reason.
Any MHFA activity logs must contain no identifiable information. They may record broad themes and activity levels, but they are not clinical case notes, and logging must never be a condition of having a supportive conversation.
If your organisation holds identifiable mental health information through HR, management or other support processes, it must handle that information in line with applicable data protection requirements.
Agreeing a workable escalation route
Name an escalation contact before support begins. Make sure the instructions work across all your operating hours, including when the usual contact is away.
If someone is in immediate danger, MHFAiders follow emergency procedures, and Acas advises calling 999. Managers remain responsible for workplace actions, while clinical assessment and treatment sit with qualified healthcare professionals. An MHFAider may offer a supportive follow-up conversation within their agreed role and boundaries.
How can employers sustain provision after training?
Training is where provision starts. Protected time, support and regular review are what keep it working over the long term.
Supporting MHFAiders themselves
Keeping skills current is part of sustaining effective provision. The framework requires a refresher or full course every three years, or as the relevant accrediting body recommends. Salusphere Global offers a four-hour Mental Health First Aid refresher that updates skills and gives MHFAiders practice with the action plan.
MHFAiders also need ongoing support for their own wellbeing. How often this happens should reflect the demands of the role, rather than following a fixed timetable.
- Peer support and debriefs: regular chances to reflect with other MHFAiders.
- Wellbeing check-ins: with a manager or the MHFA lead, to spot fatigue or emotional overload.
- Freedom to step back: MHFAiders can pause or step down without penalty or pressure.
Individual follow-up is also recommended after a particularly difficult conversation.
Reviewing whether support is accessible
The framework recommends an annual review, defined success measures, regular reporting and an improvement plan each year. A proportionate review checks coverage, whether training is current, how MHFAiders are coping and whether signposting is still accurate. Counting conversations proves little on its own: low use can reflect low need, but it can also reflect poor visibility, weak trust or support that is hard to reach.
Introduce MHFA during induction and keep contact details easy to find. Check that part-time, remote and shift workers know how to access support. Regular reminders help keep provision visible throughout the year.
Pledging and choosing next steps
Pledging support for the MHFA England Workplace Mental Health First Aid Standards is a public commitment. It is not certification or independently verified achievement. Organisations that pledge can use a self-assessment checklist, and MHFA England says details of a verification process are still being developed. A short checklist of next steps:
- Policy and ownership: review your existing policy and name an MHFA lead.
- Roles and coverage: write role descriptions, check accessible coverage and agree escalation routes.
- Support and review: protect time, arrange support for MHFAiders and set a date to review provision.
Salusphere Global helps employers look at their existing provision and find the gaps, through MHFA training, wellbeing needs assessments, audits and wider wellbeing support. If you would like to talk through your current arrangements, you are welcome to get in touch with our team.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Mental Health First Aiders should a company have?
Under the framework, employers with more than 50 employees need at least one MHFAider per 50 employees, and one per 25 is recommended. This is not a statutory ratio. You may need more coverage because of shifts, multiple sites or workplace risks, and colleagues outside office hours need a clear alternative route.
Is a Mental Health First Aid course certificate the same as a formal qualification?
No. MHFA England distinguishes a course-completion certificate from the optional RSPH Level 3 Award in Mental Health First Aid. A certificate, an external qualification, being appointed to the role and an employer following the Standards are four separate things.
Does Mental Health First Aid training reduce sickness absence?
MHFA training alone does not guarantee reduced sickness absence or a particular financial return. Its value should be reviewed alongside the wider support available and action on work-related stress. Useful measures include staff awareness, access to support, MHFAider confidence and wellbeing, and whether identified workplace problems are addressed.
