Racing Welfare's Annual Review 2022/23

MENTAL
HEALTH
SERVICES
Mental Health services are accessed through the WWP via Racing’s Support Line, which
provides in-the-moment counselling support by trained, BACP accredited counsellors. In
addition, and where assessed, ongoing counselling provision is available for those who need
it. Mental health provision is integrated within all our services, ensuring those who need
support can access it regardless of their reason for contacting Racing Welfare.
We continued to deliver awareness-raising efforts for employers and managers around the
critical incident support service that is available through Racing’s Support Line. This is for any event in the workplace that isn’t normal or
expected; for example an accident or death. By accessing critical incident support, the workplace has instant access to counsellors over
the phone and the option for a workplace visit by a counselling team 48hrs or more after the event.
We continued to develop a network of Mental Health First Aiders across the industry. This enables peer-to-peer support in workplaces
across the industry, and our ambition is to ensure every employer, large and small, has a trained Mental Health First Aid member of staff
available within their workplace. We also provided updates and refresher training as necessary.
Megan Sutton, Archie Watson Racing:
“The need for Mental Health First Aid training is becoming more and more evident.
“Working in a racing office, it is often the place that staff come to when they are going through a tough time. It can be difficult to know what to
do in these circumstances, and how best to support that person. I’d been wanting to do the MHFA course for a while, I see it as important as, if
not more needed, than physical first aid. With physical first aid it is very obvious when someone is in need, they either have an accident and get
up with a few superficial injuries, or they don’t get up right away and need an ambulance.
“Mental health issues can happen at any point and can be much more difficult to identify. Archie [Watson] was very supportive of me taking the
course and paid for it for me.”
Increasing access to mental health support was seen as a priority for the programme, as substantial research demonstrates the
complexity of challenges facing those working in the horse racing industry, in addition to the burdens of the cost-of-living crisis and
energy crisis facing the general population which is often acutely felt by those working in horseracing.
75
PEOPLE TRAINED ON
ONE OF OUR MENTAL
HEALTH COURSES
| 18