The Story of Mental Health Risk Intelligence
A SYSTEM DEVELOPED BY RICHARD DANIEL CURTISThe story behind an evidence-based system that has the potential to help organisations around the globe change the way they think about mental health.
The Journey
Turning complexity into a system
Richard Daniel Curtis has been on the hunt for a way of systemising workplace mental health since 2018. During the last couple of years research has been published that brings together multiple strands of workplace wellbeing that enabled Richard to continue with his research into measurables that could evidence the state of employee wellbeing across a large organisation.
In June 2014 Richard developed his first mental health organisational audit for schools, a written tool used by several hundred schools. In 2020, Richard redeveloped this based on published research, developing a mental health organisation audit for educational settings. The tool consisted of 45 items that a senior member of staff, such as a principal or headteacher, would complete. This would give them a data-driven rating for the different areas, which were then compared to national averages and displayed on a dashboard. The education mental health system has been used by over 700 organisations since being digitised in 2021.
Fast forward to 2026, when Richard spent months undertaking a literature review related to workplace wellbeing to ensure that the workplace system he was developing was evidence-based. After several months of reading, Richard was in a position to develop the audit that forms part of the Mental Health Risk Intelligence system. Alongside this, Richard was also developing the basis for the data streams that would also be used. The heatwave of summer 2026 gave Richard the indoor time that he needed to complete the system.
The constraints for the system
Evidence base is everything
Don't rely on wellbeing surveys
Not instrusive
The Person Behind the Tool
Meet Richard Daniel Curtis
Richard Daniel Curtis is an internationally recognised mental health disruptor, leading wellbeing expert and mentor.
He advises businesses on how they can improve overall performance by reimagining workplace wellbeing and implementing strategies which put their people first.
With nearly 20 years’ experience advising government, organisations and individuals on mental health strategy, he works globally. Within the UK alone, he has transformed the lives of more than 12 million people.
In 2013, Richard founded The Root Of It; his award-winning training and consultancy business which is now a trusted adviser to thousands of companies.
What sets Richard apart is his ability to simplify strategy, challenge conventional thinking and make mental health and wellbeing easier for leaders. Confident in the guidance he provides and its ability to deliver real business impact, he even offers a money back guarantee across all his training courses.
He works with the energy, engineering, manufacturing, construction, defence and financial services sectors and has also advised large brands including international food and beverage specialist SSP Group, Coca Cola Europacific Partners, and the Royal College of Nursing.
Alongside his work with businesses, Richard co-authored the guidance for the statutory mental health curriculum in England, following a request from the Department for Education.
Years of Experience
Number of Organisations
Lives Impacted
References for the Mental Health Risk Intelligence system
Bryant, P. C., & Allen, D. G. (2013). Compensation, benefits and employee turnover: HR strategies for retaining top talent. Compensation & Benefits Review, 45(3), 171-175.
Centre for Thriving Places (2024). Thriving Places Index Methodology. Accessed at https://www.centreforthrivingplaces.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TPI-2024-Methodology-1.pdf
de Vries, J. D., van Hooff, M. L. M., Geurts, S. A. E., & Kompier, M. A. J. (2017). Exercise to reduce work-related fatigue among employees: a randomized controlled trial. Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health, 43(4), 337–349. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3634
Dennerlein, Jack T. et al. (2021). The Future of Research on Work, Safety, Health and Wellbeing: A Guiding Conceptual Framework. 269.
Dumitriu, S., Bocean, C. G., Vărzaru, A. A., Al-Floarei, A. T., Sperdea, N. M., Popescu, F. L., & Băloi, I.-C. (2025). The Role of the Workplace Environment in Shaping Employees’ Well-Being. Sustainability, 17(6), 2613. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17062613
Fayyad, N. et al. (2024). ‘Workplace Wellbeing and Interior Design: A Systematic Literature Review', Proceedings of the 2024 Design Research Society Conference (DRS2024), Boston, MA, USA, 23-28 June, pp. 1 - 21. doi: 10.21606/drs.2024.901.
Gelencsér, M., Szabó-Szentgróti, G., Kőmüves, Z. S., & Hollósy-Vadász, G. (2023). The Holistic Model of Labour Retention: The Impact of Workplace Wellbeing Factors on Employee Retention. Administrative Sciences, 13(5), 121. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13050121
Harrison, E. M., Schmied, E. A., Easterling, A. P., Yablonsky, A. M., & Glickman, G. L. (2020). A hybrid effectiveness-implementation study of a multi-component lighting intervention for hospital shift workers. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(23), 9141.
Heartbrain Works (n.d.). Wellbeing at work: A Conceptual Framework and Practical Approach. Accessed at https://www.heartbrainworks.org/Wellbeing-at-work-conceptual-framework-and-practical-approach
Kazlauskaitė, R., Martinaitytė, I., Lyubovnikova, J. & Augutytė-Kvedaravičienė, I. (2023). The physical office work environment and employee wellbeing: Current state of research and future research agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews, 25, 413–442. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12315
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054346
Page, G. and Tolmie, J. (2024). Physical working environments: how they affect our wellbeing and performance. In Practice, 46: 152-156. https://doi.org/10.1002/inpr.420
Policy Liaison Group on Workplace Wellbeing (2026). Good Work, Good Health, Good Growth. https://plgworkplacewellbeing.org/
Soneye, A. A., Sani-Sambo, H. A. L. I. M. A. H., Iluno, E. C., Alexander, A. A., Isaac, I. O., & Kadarko, E. D. (2025). Conceptualisation And Framework Development For Workplace Well-Being: A Literature Review. Journal Of Economics And Allied Research (Jear), 346.
Warr, P. (1987). Work, unemployment, and mental health. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Wellbeing at Work (2024). The Wellbeing at Work Strategic Framework for Employee Wellbeing. Accessed at https://wellbeingatwork.world/the-wellbeing-at-work-strategic-framework-for-employee-wellbeing/
