The Film and TV charity has unveiled a landmark set of principles for safeguarding mental health in what’s been called a “watershed moment” for the UK creative sector’s duty of care to its production community.

The principles are the result of a collaboration between the charity and more than 45 industry organisations, including all the public service broadcasters, studios, leading streamers, production companies and trade unions.

They come after the charity’s Looking Glass survey found an increase in mental health struggles across the UK film and TV industry, with 35% of respondents describing their mental health as “poor” or “very poor”.

About 30% of respondents also said they had experienced suicidal thoughts in the previous 12 months, 63% said their work had a negative effect on their mental health and 64% had considered leaving the industry due to concerns about mental health.

The nine principles outline the core actions any production would need to take to ensure support for mental health is positively and routinely embedded. They include creating a culture that supports wellbeing; fostering respectful, inclusive relationships across teams; managing the impact of difficult subject matter; and managing workload.

Marcus Ryder, chief executive of the Film and TV charity, said the guidance marked “the biggest industry initiative to address mental health in film and television in a generation”.

“The evidence shows that mental health outcomes for those working in film and TV are consistently worse than national averages,” Ryder told the Guardian.

“Since 2019, our research has found significantly higher levels of stress, burnout, loneliness and poor mental wellbeing across the sector.

“This isn’t about individuals being less resilient. It’s about the systemic impact of working conditions, culture across the industry and the capability of the industry as a whole to deal with these issues.”

Ryder said the principles meant thinking about mental health in the same practical way productions already think about physical safety.

This may mean “identifying potential stress risks at the planning stage”, planning ahead for “emotionally challenging content or difficult filming environments” and putting clear processes in place for reporting bullying or inappropriate behaviour.

While the principles themselves are not regulations, they are grounded in existing legal duties and best practice, Ryder said.

How they are implemented will vary. “Some partners may encourage adoption; others may embed them more formally into commissioning frameworks or production requirements,” he added.

Existing frameworks that address workplace mental health more broadly include the UK health and safety law and international standards such as ISO 45003, which focuses on psychological health and safety at work.

Within the screen sector, organisations such as the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority have introduced standards around behaviour and misconduct, and many broadcasters and production companies have their own policies and guidance.

“What hasn’t existed until now is a single, industry-backed framework that brings all of this together and translates it into practical, production-specific guidance,” Ryder said. “Film and television production environments are unique; they are freelance, fast-moving, and often high-pressure. Generic workplace guidance doesn’t always map neatly on to those realities.”

Sara Putt, Bafta chair and Film and TV charity chair, said: “Across every stage of a screen-industry career, our Bafta talent programme participants and members tell us the same thing. Instability of freelance jobs, lack of access to training and skills development, the realities of production working conditions and pressures from fewer job opportunities are not only driving a talent drain, but also having a profound impact on the mental health and wellbeing of our workforce.”

Kate Phillips, chief content officer at the BBC, called it a “potential watershed moment for the UK creative sector’s duty of care to its production community”.

She encouraged the BBC’s in-house production teams and third-party suppliers to prioritise the principles, “so that people working right across the industry can benefit – and so the industry itself can be stronger, healthier, and more sustainable as a result.”