Staff at a regional publisher will be trained in “mental health first aid” to help colleagues experiencing emotional distress.

National World has launched a new campaign aimed at promoting the physical and mental wellbeing of staff, including what it calls a “24/7 employee assistance programme”.

As part of the scheme, the publisher will appoint 20 “mental health champions”, who will undertake a nationally recognised qualification in mental health first aid.

The champions will become the first point of contact for employees who are experiencing a mental health issue or emotional distress and will be trained to be able to support and signpost access to professional help.

An online hub will also help staff struggling with mental health issues, offering tools including contact details for the champions and details of charities that can provide support, as well as access to the group’s whistleblowing helpline and NHS-approved corporate wellbeing app Thrive.

The campaign is being led by National World head of HR Claire Jackson, pictured.

Claire said: “The most important part of any business is its people, and so it is vitally important that we do everything we can to support our employees as best we can no matter what difficulties they may come up against.

“Without doubt the last two years has taken its toll on many people as we have all had to adapt, at pace, the way we live our lives and, in some cases, this has significantly impacted our ability to maintain good physical and mental health. This, along with other external pressures that we all face, means that we need to constantly evolve our wellbeing offering.

“Our wellbeing campaign is one of the key strands of National World’s people strategy and I am delighted at the response we have had across the business.

“The level of interest in becoming a mental health champion shows that this is a topic of great importance to so many, and highlights the passion we have across the organisation to destigmatise conversations about mental wellbeing.

“I look forward to working with all of our champions over the coming weeks and months to continue to support colleagues across the business as we add to our wellbeing programme.”