Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) has signed up to a national charter for employers who are positive about mental health. The charter is part of the UK-wide Mindful Employer initiative which aims to increase awareness of mental health in the workplace and provide support for businesses in recruiting and retaining staff.

We have signed up to the charter to show our commitment to improving the working lives of our staff. We want to show a positive and enabling attitude to employees and job applicants with mental health issues, and not make assumptions about a person with mental ill-health or a learning disability in relation to their work performance.

We are working towards being an exemplar employer of people with mental illness and learning disability. Mental ill health is the biggest cause of sickness absence, costing the UK an estimated £25.9 billion a year. LPT's Director of People and Business Effectiveness, Tony Burnell said; "We know that some people may fear that stigma will jeopardise their chances of getting a job or affect access to training, education or voluntary work.

We want to show that with the right support, people with mental health issues or a learning disability can and do stay in work. "Employers shouldn't make assumptions that a person with mental ill health will be more vulnerable to workplace stress or take more time off than any other employee or job applicant. In fact, the vast majority of those who have experienced mental ill health continue to work successfully, as do many people with ongoing health issues."

For more information, please visit: www.mindfulemployer.net