For anyone who is interested in exploring mindfulness there is a new collective mindfulness network initiated by Workforce Scotland. At our first meeting in May we started to discuss some big issues around what a mindful nation would look like (including national minimum income, connections with rights based approaches/equality, whether education was fit for the changing world – automation – and what the workforce might look like in the future, how to breach social divides – we didn’t come up with all the answers!!), a mindfulness charter, mindfulness in the context of self-preservation and in how we treat one another etc.
I found it really interesting and thought provoking.
The description of mindfulness on the NHS website can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mindfulness/
You may also be interested in the work of a Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group. Two reports were published based on their work.
Mindful Nation UK (October 2015)
The Mindful UK Report, the first policy document of its kind, seeks to address mental health concerns in the areas of education, health, the workplace and the criminal justice system through the application of mindfulness interventions. The recommendations in this report are evidence-based, sourced directly from experienced implementers, who report notable success in their respective fields and urge policymakers to invest resources in further pilot studies and increase public access to qualified teacher trainers.
https://www.themindfulnessinitiative.org.uk/publications/mindful-nation-uk-report
Building the Case for Mindfulness in the Workplace
This publication is primarily intended as a resource for those developing a business case for mindfulness training within their own organisation. It provides an updated summary of the research evidence, narrative rationales addressing different organisational needs, case studies and a range of toolkits to help with programme planning, implementation and evaluation.
The document has been developed by a volunteer working group convened by the Mindfulness Initiative and made up of champions from private sector companies including BT, EY, GE, GSK, HSBC and Jaguar Land Rover, supported by leading workplace mindfulness trainers and researchers. In response to the findings and recommendations of the Mindful Nation UK report, the group has tried to address the lack of publicly available information about implementing best-practice mindfulness training in the workplace, and encourages organisations to evaluate their programmes in order to develop the evidence base. It will be iteratively developed over time as capacity allows.
Current version: 1.1 (October 2016)
https://www.themindfulnessinitiative.org.uk/publications/building-the-case
The next meeting is on 30th October, and open to anyone across public services who is interested in how we can become a more mindful nation:
