The Duke of Cambridge talks mental health with Emergency Responder family ahead of Emergency Services Mental Health Symposium

Ahead of The Royal Foundation’s Emergency Services Mental Health Symposium, The Duke of Cambridge has spoken with Emergency Care Assistant Chloe Taylor, aged 24, and Paramedic Will Parish, aged 27, from the South-Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust in their home near Reading about managing mental health on the frontline.      

In this personal conversation, which was recorded last week, The Duke of Cambridge, Will and Chloe share their experiences of working as emergency responders and the mental health impact that this can have. They also discuss coping mechanisms and the need for emergency responders to be given the tools and support to be able to cope.  

The film will be played at today’s Symposium, which will see 200 leaders from across fire, ambulance, police, and search and rescue from all four nations come together for the first time to address the mental health of their workforces. The event will include a live panel session involving senior emergency services leaders who will talk about their personal experience of mental health, alongside speeches by Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Dame Cressida Dick, Health Secretary Sajid Javid, mental health charity Mind’s CEO Paul Farmer and The Duke of Cambridge.  

The event will be the first time that senior leaders from the emergency services from across all four nations will come together to address the mental health of their workforces. During the symposium, The Duke will announce the ambitious Blue Light Together package of mental health support for the emergency services, developed by The Royal Foundation and partner organisations.