Mental ill health costs reach £300 billion a year — more than the cost of the Covid-19 pandemic

Mental ill health costs reach £300 billion a year — more than the cost of the Covid-19 pandemic

Research commissioned by the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network has looked in detail at the actual costs of poor mental health in the population of England.

The work, carried out by the Centre for Mental Health, found that economic costs were £110 billion (like unemployment, sickness absence, staff turnover and presenteeism); health and care costs were £60 billion; and ‘human costs’ (reduced quality of life and premature death) was estimated at £130 billion.

Constant Covid

The report The economic and social costs of mental ill health suggests that the impact was greater than the estimated costs of Covid-19 on the UK economy in its first year, 2020. But unlike the pandemic, mental ill health is an ongoing challenge with no vaccine.

To put the costs into perspective, they are almost double the entire budget of the NHS in England of £153 billion. The analysis also suggests that a third of the entire costs fall on employers.

The NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network is calling for a comprehensive ten year mental health strategy.

Work matters

EAPA UK chair, Karl Bennett said: “For the majority of people’s lives, work plays a pivotal role in their mental health, providing financial rewards and a foundation to their sense of stability and security, as well as lots of other important benefits: a social network, friendship, feelings of belonging, of purpose and challenge.

“So when things are difficult at work, for whatever reason, there is a real impact on overall mental health and how people feel when it comes to coping with other issues around their health, finances and relationships. “It’s so important, then, for a national strategy to look at the role of work as a priority. How ‘good’ workplaces — conscious of how work demands and workplace culture affects people’s state of mind, and providing different forms of advice and support when it’s needed — are critical for the mental health of the entire nation.”