Alliance Healthcare Partners with Mercedes-Benz Vans to Raise Awareness for Drivers’ Mental Health

To mark the start of Mental Health Awareness Week (13-19 May) Alliance Healthcare UK, the UK’s leading wholesaler of healthcare products, has partnered with Mercedes-Benz Vans to bring van drivers together through sport.

Mercedes-Benz Vans and ex-Sky Sports football pundit Chris Kamara have launched Vantasy Football, the UK’s first five-a-side football tournament to bring van drivers together to help improve mental wellbeing.

A team of Alliance Healthcare delivery drivers taking part in the tournament joined Kamara for a football coaching session and as an opportunity to open up about driver mental health. The event comes as Mercedes-Benz Vans launched it’s Under the Bonnet report which revealed van drivers spend up to 25 hours a week alone with no one to talk to while a third (35%) have three or fewer conversations a day at work – compared with the national average of 27.

Alliance Healthcare’s 1,300 drivers deliver 2.4 million medicines to pharmacies and healthcare professionals across the UK every day to help ensure patients have access to the medications they need. Beyond the football training event, Alliance Healthcare has planned activities throughout the year to support positive mental health, including its annual football tournament that brings together over 100 players and their families from across the network.

Alliance Healthcare also supports the mental health of its drivers through ongoing education and awareness. The driver booklet ‘A road to wellness’ contains information relating to mental health and signposting to resources for further help and support. Alliance Healthcare provides all team members with access to an employee assistance programme, as well as the internal support (in-house) from 80 trained mental health first aiders.
 

Marie Evans, Managing Director of Alliance Healthcare UK, said: “Our 1,300 drivers are the backbone of our delivery network, working hard to ensure that pharmacies, healthcare professionals and patients across the UK have access to the medications they need. The campaign with Mercedes-Benz Vans shines an important light on some of the pressures faced by drivers across every industry. The initiative identified that sport, alongside ongoing education and awareness, reflects our continued commitment to support the mental health and wellbeing of our teams. While there’s always more to do, listening and understanding is an important first step and we’re proud to be supporting our drivers with greater resource, including dedicated mental health first aiders, and bringing them together through team sport.”

Antony Simmons, Head of Transport for Alliance Healthcare UK, said: “At Alliance Healthcare UK, we put our people first. On a daily basis as a driver, you face many unique and sometimes stressful situations; I’ve worked in transport for over 30 years and was a driver myself, so I understand the challenges faced by our drivers and the potential for it to become a pressurised and lonely role if you don’t have the support in place. That’s why I’m pleased that Alliance Healthcare UK is shining a light on mental health and proactively taking steps to support the safety, efficiency, and overall wellbeing of our drivers.”