The UK Parliament’s strategic estates team is helping to shape the conditions under which 3,000 people work, from politicians and visitors to contractors and staff, Chris Elliott writes
Over the past 10 years, 7,000 lives have been lost to suicide in the construction sector. In the UK Parliament’s strategic estates team, we believe we have a duty to lead by example and do something about it.
The construction industry is the backbone of our built environment. It shapes the spaces where we live, work and govern. Yet there is a less visible crisis going on. Mental health in construction is not just a wellbeing issue; it is a matter of safety, productivity and culture.
The statistics are stark. Construction workers in the UK are four times more likely to die by suicide than the national average. A recent Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) report found that 26% of construction workers have had suicidal thoughts, and only 56% say their employer has a mental health policy.
Stress, anxiety and depression account for nearly half of all work-related ill health, costing programmes and the wider UK economy billions in lost productivity
The causes are complex: long hours, job insecurity, financial pressures and a culture that has historically discouraged open conversations about mental health. This has resulted in a workforce where 73% report being affected by mental illness, and where stress, anxiety and depression account for nearly half of all work-related ill health, costing programmes and the wider UK economy billions in lost productivity.
In strategic estates, we are not just commissioning a programme of works, we are helping to shape the conditions under which 3,000 people work, from politicians and visitors to contractors and staff. That is why we are embedding mental health considerations into every stage of our construction programmes.
We have introduced a “considerate client” model, ensuring that decisions around procurement, programming and delivery methods factor in the wellbeing of those on site and are promoting mental health impacts being assessed in risk assessments and method statements (RAMS) – we have found some challenges with people being comfortable and feeling qualified enough to consider it – but our long-term goal is to make it mandatory. We have also made it standard practice to include mental health considerations in incident investigations.
But policy alone is not enough. Culture change is key. That is why we have established a mental health steering group with our contractors, aligning with the core standards of the Stevenson-Farmer review – the independent review of mental health and employers. Together, we have developed a mental health at work plan that includes one trained mental health first aider per 25 workers; quarterly wellbeing check-ins; participation in mental health awareness week; mandatory mental health training for all site supervisors by Q1 2026 and suicide prevention toolbox talks for all operatives.
It also gave me great pride to see us host a “mind fitness and wellbeing day” in August, consisting of presentations by Lighthouse Construction Charity, the CIOB and Dalkia. W have also taken this message to our supply chain through presentations at the ‘Innovation Forum’, ‘Supplier Safety Summit’, and ‘Get Construction Talking’ events.
Workers have told us they feel more valued, more supported, and more willing to talk
Our new construction partnership framework includes a dedicated mental health workshop during mobilisation, ensuring that wellbeing is a shared responsibility from day one.
We have seen the impact already. Workers have told us they feel more valued, more supported, and more willing to talk. Last year, at a hearing with the House of Commons administration committee – a cross-party group of MPs that keeps an eye on the house administration – on women in construction, colleagues shared powerful stories of how a supportive environment has transformed their experience working on the parliamentary estate.
We still have work to do. But by embedding mental health into the fabric of our projects, we are not only building a healthier parliamentary estate – we are building a healthier industry.
Chris Elliott is managing director of strategic estates, UK Parliament
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