Have treatments for mental ill-health been put on hold through lockdown?

Have treatments for mental ill-health been put on hold through lockdown?

mental ill-health: Employees took significantly less time off work during the first lockdown between March and July, according to research carried out by NTT Data for NHS Digital. The number of fit notes dropped by 34% compared with the average for the year.

The proportion of those notes, however, shows a steep rise in mental health-related illnesses resulting in time taken off work. Mental health problems now account for four in 10 (41 per cent) of all sick notes signed by GPs during the pandemic.

Employer role

Vicki Chauhan, head of public services at NTT Data UK, pointed to the increased importance of employers in ensuring mental health is seen as a priority among line manager and their reports.

“These are extraordinary times and until we can return to a level of normality, employers must remain conscious of the challenges that remote working poses to mental health and continue to support their staff as this pandemic evolves.”

In its response, the CIPD has called for HR to make sure managers provide regular one-to-ones alongside virtual team gatherings, to be flexible and empathetic.

Other new research from Benenden Health has suggested that almost half UK employers have seen an employee leaving their company because they perceived their mental wellbeing was not being cared for. 55% of employees in the study said they would look for a new employer if they believed mental wellbeing wasn’t being supported (78% among the 18-24  age group).

Plugging the workplace wellbeing gap

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “Understandably people have been cautious about making appointments with GPs. We’ve stayed away from surgeries and hospitals for anything we’ve believed to be non-urgent – to protect ourselves from risks of Covid-19 infection, but also so we don’t feel we’re taking up NHS time unnecessarily.

“Early signs of mental ill-health are all too easy to ignore, to try and brush aside. That’s the problem here. Access to support via the NHS has also been perceived to be difficult, even before the pandemic. The danger is that many of the people going to their GPs for sick notes have been doing so as a last resort, when problems with anxiety and depression have reached a more serious stage.

“At a time when so many more people in the UK workforce are facing additional strains – from the isolation of working from home, from increased work and financial insecurities, from the impact of the virus on the health of family and friends – it’s critical that employees know there are straightforward ways to access support. Good information as a fundamental, but also someone they can talk to for reassurance and to flag the best next steps for them as individuals.”