Mental Health Awareness Week 2026

Mental Health Awareness Week 2026: Turning Awareness into Action

Mental Health Awareness Week takes place from 11–17 May 2026 and is one of the UK’s most important campaigns focused on improving mental wellbeing. This year’s theme is “Action”, highlighting the importance of taking practical steps to support mental health in our everyday lives.

Mental health affects us all, and while awareness has improved, many people still face barriers to support. This week encourages us to move beyond conversation and take meaningful action—whether that’s looking after ourselves, supporting colleagues, or contributing to a healthier workplace culture.

Even small actions can make a difference. This might include taking time to rest, staying active, connecting with others, or simply checking in with a colleague. There are three key ways we can take action:

• For yourself – prioritising your own mental health and seeking support when needed
• For others – creating supportive environments and listening without judgement
• For all of us – helping to build a culture where mental health is valued and supported

Local support and contacts within Carmarthenshire County Council

Staff have access to a wide range of internal wellbeing support and contacts:

• Health and Wellbeing Team
• Health & Wellbeing contact form available here
• Occupational Health Service
• Provides confidential support, advice and referrals to maintain and improve physical and mental health at work
• Additional internal support networks
• Over 100 Mental Health First Aiders across the organisation
• A network of Health & Wellbeing Champions supporting teams locally

These services offer advice, guidance, signposting and practical support to help staff manage their wellbeing and access the right help at the right time.

Creating a healthier workplace

Mental Health Awareness Week is an opportunity to reflect on how we support wellbeing across our teams. Promoting flexible working, encouraging breaks, and signposting support can all contribute to a healthier working environment.

Ultimately, Mental Health Awareness Week is not just about one week—it’s about making lasting change. By taking action, however small, we can help create a more supportive and resilient workplace for everyone.

Furthermore, we have created the Mental Health in the workplace (nhs.wales) eLearning module as a key mandatory module, this must be completed by everyone. It focuses on mental health, including stress, in the workplace, supporting yourself and others and provides links to the internal and external support available.

We remain committed to supporting your mental health and wellbeing and encourage you to focus on making manageable adjustments to your daily routine, while the impact of small actions on their own may seem little, the cumulative effects of these habits can end up being profound!

To assist team leaders, supervisors and managers to reduce stress and mental health related sickness absence in their service areas, we have organised a programme of “Managing Stress and Mental Health in the Workplace” workshops. All team leaders, supervisors and managers are strongly encouraged to attend these workshops.

For more information visit the Stress, Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing intranet pages for further information and support. Please also see our Help and Support page for external organisations and resources. For any other Health and Wellbeing queries, remember that the Health and Wellbeing team can be contacted anytime via the online contact form.