Northumberland National Park and Your Homes Newcastle are benefiting from initiative
A Tyneside charity has launched a pioneering mental health service across the North East.
Be Centre for Wellbeing runs a package of activities that helps employers create a mentally healthier workforce.
it also trains staff to better manage their own mental health and wellbeing with the aim of reducing sick days that are attributed to stress, anxiety and depression.
Based in Newcastle City Centre at Mea House, the project is believed to be the first of its kind and takes a proactive approach to addressing mental health issue before it reaches a "crisis" point.
The project has already received the support of Gateshead Council, Northumberland National Park and Your Homes Newcastle.
Research has shown that 1 in 6 workers experience depression, stress and anxiety in the workplace with £11.7 million working days lost in 2015-16 from stress related illness.
Emily Pearson, head of workplace wellbeing at Be Centre for Wellbeing, produced the firework after a successful pilot with emergency services across the North East.
She said: "The first thing we recommend people do is a consultation with the business to make sure it fits in with whatever they are already doing.
"We can look at sickness data, we can look at trends, we can look at ways to reduce those levels of sickness.
"We then recommend that they train managers so we deliver an accredited course for managers, so managers are able to recognise early signs and symptoms and manage it more appropriately in the workplace."
The North East Social Investment Fund has invested £150,000 in the initiative as part of a £10.2m fund set up to support charities and social enterprises in the North East.
Emily said the framework fits from the CEO level all the way down to frontline staff.
She added: "We inspire managers so when they leave that training course they can go back into the workplace and change the culture of their teams.
"Once we have the basics in place we look at how to change your policies and procedures using supportive language, training managers then beginning with reducing stigma and knowledge giving.
"So we reduce stigma by knowledge giving. No one has ever had this before I've never ever been taght about mental health in an organisation in a place like school."
Emily said the proejct takes a proactive approach at addressing the stigma around mental health.
She added: "We are focusing on being proactive. It is a huge gap in the market.
"It has always been about crisis. Yet the stats have shown it is not helping.
"We're definitely trailblazing."