The Mayor of London hopes to tackle the capital's poor mental health by encouraging employers to take part in "first aid training" sessions.

With research revealing that Londoners report a lower level of life satisfaction, wellbeing and feeling of self-worth than the national average, Sadiq Khan hopes mental health training programmes will reduce stigma.

The mayor is responsible for Transport for London, whose workers are regularly offered mental health and trauma support training to enable them to offer support to their colleagues and passengers on the network.

Mr Khan, who himself took part in a Mental Health First Aid training session, said: “I’ve long said that mental health is of paramount importance, which is why I’m leading by example and taking part today in Mental Health First Aid training alongside members of my team at City Hall.

"Poor mental health can affect anyone at any time.

"It’s vital that we all work together to improve the mental health of Londoners and reduce stigma – and employers have a big part to play."

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan wants to tackle the stigma associated with poor mental health

Every week, more than 14 Londoners take their own lives, with mental ill-health costing UK businesses £26 billion per year - it is the leading cause of sickness-related absence.

Poppy Jaman, chief executive of Mental Health First Aid England and City Mental Health Alliance, said: “We are already working with a large number of employers across the City to ensure that leaders, managers and staff are trained to offer initial support to someone experiencing a mental health issue and we fully support the Mayor’s commitment to make London a more mentally healthy place to work and live.”

Through the training, Mr Khan hopes to reduce the impact of mental health problems in the workplace, equip front-line staff to recognise mental health issues in members of the public and reduce the overall stigma associated with individuals talking about their mental health to their peers.

The Mayor is also calling on all employers to sign up to his Healthy Workplace Charter, which provides businesses with a range of tools to support staff health and wellbeing.

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