Poppy’s own encounters with depression as a young woman helped her develop an understanding of the challenges facing people with mental health problems, especially among diverse groups. She has been campaigning to place equal emphasis on standard first aid and mental health first aid. In order to do so, she has been a vocal proponent of amendments to regulations regarding the Health and Work Act, which would require all first aid respondents to have training in providing mental health assistance. Her campaign was supported by David Cameron in 2017, and Prime Minister Theresa May has also pledged commitment to the cause, vowing to have at least one mental health first aid provider in every secondary school.Congratulations to our CEO @PoppyJaman who will receive an OBE in the #NewYearsHonours in recognition of her inspirational work in #MentalHealth! https://t.co/ycdWNW3K3A pic.twitter.com/rgzY2PjTvQ
— MHFA England (@MHFAEngland) December 30, 2017
A woman’s campaign for mental health first aid in England has led to the Queen Elizabeth II bestowing upon her remarkable honours.
41-year-old Sultana Poppy Jaman has been made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Poppy, born in Portsmouth to a family from Moulvibazar, worked mostly in the healthcare sector. In 2007, Poppy and her colleagues discovered that Scotland was providing first aid training for mental health. She saw the scope of the project in England and began taking initiatives to introduce it to England.
Around the same time, England’s National Institute for Mental Health had also begun offering mental health first aid training to excellent reception. The project was institutionalized as a separate body and Poppy, as a founding member, was appointed as the CEO of Mental Health Fast Aid England (MHFAE).
The organization provides training courses on how to identify the warning signs of mental health in others and help provide them with appropriate support. For almost 10 years she has championed the cause and seen it grow from a government initiative into a critically acclaimed public service. In 2017, the MHFAE was listed ninth on the Fortuna 50 list – UK’s fastest growing businesses led by women.
