Led by the school’s Nurse Dawn, the intensive one-day course offered students from Year 9 to Sixth Form the opportunity to equip them with essential, life-saving skills as well as gaining an invaluable qualification.
First aid for mental health operates in a similar way to physical first aid, and aims to offer the initial support to a person experiencing a mental health problem until professional help is received or until the crisis is resolved. It aims to preserve life, alleviate suffering, prevent conditions developing, promote recovery and offer immediate comfort and support to those in need.
Nurse Dawn said: “Mental health is a really important subject to talk about and we all have a responsibility to break the stigma that surrounds it. The course was incredibly oversubscribed, both by our aspiring medics and peer mentors as well as girls who just wanted to understand more about how to help a friend or colleague in the future. It really goes to show how much our students value being able to act with confidence and empathy around mental health issues and these skills will prove invaluable for many years to come.”
From learning about different mental health disorders and how to use non-judgemental listening skills to applying a first aid action plan for a mental health crisis, it was a jam-packed programme and Dawn was very impressed by the girls’ maturity and sensitivity when it came to discussing some very serious topics.
The Level 2 accredited course aims to raise the awareness of mental health within the British public and UK workplaces and help delegates develop the skills to look after our own and others mental wellbeing.
Using the latest research and information from some of the world’s largest medical institutions, the programme has been developed and produced by Nuco, in association with the awarding organisation First Aid Awards (FAA).
The course was staged as part of the school’s comprehensive, and much lauded, programme for aspiring medics. The bespoke programme offers students, wishing to pursue a career in healthcare, a tailored calendar of lectures, workshops, mentoring and one-to-one support to support their application into their chosen branch of medicine.
