Life can be tough at the best of times but for a seafarer, long periods away from family & friends, isolation, and  limited social interactivity can sometimes contribute to poor mental health and emotional wellbeing. Without early recognition, intervention and support the outcome can be in the least undesirable, and at worst, devastating.

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Irrelevant of flag or nationality, vessel owners, representatives and captains have a 'duty of care' to their crew and staff to ensure that nominated staff are trained in 'first aid for mental health' to be able to respond to those colleagues who need such support.

 

The UK Health & Safety Executive state that "You should consider ways to manage mental ill health in your workplace which are appropriate for your business, such as providing information or training for managers and employees, employing occupational health professionals, appointing mental health trained first aiders and implementing employee support programmes."

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Quay Medical created the Mental Health at Sea programme which provides regulated Mental Health Awareness and First Aid for Mental Health training for seafarers which can also incorporate the newly published 'Standard for Seafarers Mental Health and Wellbeing Training' of which Quay Medical was a contributor.