Teachers: The forgotten health workforce

Original article by: Lowry C, Leonard-Kane R, Gibbs B et al. (2022) Teachers: the forgotten health workforce. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 115(4): 133–137.    Introduction Amidst rising rates of mental illness among children, this commentary highlights the role of teachers as the forgotten health workforce. According to the Mental Health of Children and Young People in England (MHCYP) survey, teachers are the most common source of mental health support for children (NHS Digital, 2017). Although children are well placed to access help in schools, staff do not receive the necessary training to promote mental health or respond to problems (Byrne et al., 2015; Sibieta, 2021). Furthermore, disproportionate numbers of teachers themselves experience mental health problems (Lowry et al., 2022a).  What is the research underpinning it? Research indicates that teachers have an important role as public health professionals, promoting long-term health. School conne