How can The Migraine Trust help with migraine and work?

Updated

The Migraine Trust is a UK migraine charity that provides practical information and support for managing migraine at work, and it runs a workplace pledge campaign asking employers to do more for staff with migraine. Its work-related help is aimed at people living with migraine in the UK who need to understand their options, talk to an employer, or push for better support — and at employers who want a starting point for change. The charity describes its information and support as free and confidential.

What the charity offers on migraine and work

The site has a dedicated Migraine and work section, described as "practical information and support on managing migraine and work." That is the main entry point if your question is about balancing symptoms, treatment, or appointments with a job.

Alongside that, the charity's wider support offer is relevant to work situations:

  • Free, confidential information and support for everyone affected by migraine, whatever the question or migraine history.
  • Events throughout the year and multiple ways to get in touch, so you are not limited to reading a page.
  • Campaigning to improve care, support, and awareness for people with migraine — the workplace pledge sits within this.

The workplace pledge

The homepage headline asks: "Could your workplace do more to support staff with migraine?" and invites you to "Sign our workplace pledge and take the first step."

Read that as a campaign tool rather than a service delivered to you. Signing signals that your workplace should improve how it supports staff with migraine; the charity frames it as a first step, with more detail available on its site. If you are an employee, this can be something to raise with a manager or HR. If you are an employer, it is a low-commitment way to register intent before deciding what to change.

Getting support for your own situation

The Get support section is where to go if the work pages do not answer your question. The charity states it offers free, confidential information and support regardless of your question or how long you have had migraine, and lists events and contact routes.

Practical uses of that support for a work problem include:

  • Clarifying what you might reasonably ask an employer for.
  • Preparing what to say before a conversation with a manager or occupational health.
  • Finding out how other people with migraine handle similar workplace issues.

The site does not set out a script or template for employer conversations in the material available here, so treat the support channels as the place to ask rather than expecting a ready-made letter.

What to check before you rely on it

  • Location: this is a UK charity (en-GB site), so its campaigning and workplace framing reflect UK workplaces. Employment rights and reasonable-adjustment processes differ elsewhere.
  • Scope: the work section is information and support, not legal advice or casework on your behalf.
  • Cost: the charity describes its information and support as free and confidential. The e-bulletin sign-up is a mailing list, not a paid service; no pricing is stated for the support itself.
  • Currency: campaign pages and reports change over time — check the live Migraine and work and Get support pages for the current position.

Where to start

  1. Go to the Migraine and work page for practical guidance on managing migraine alongside a job.
  2. If you want your employer to act, look at the workplace pledge and decide whether to sign or share it internally.
  3. If your question is specific to your situation, use Get support to reach the charity directly.
  4. If you are an employer, use the pledge and the work pages as a starting point, then decide what to change in policy or practice.