What’s going to work in a national ‘ mental health recovery plan ’?

What’s going to work in a national ‘ mental health recovery plan ’?

The 2022 Workplace Health Report commissioned by the NHS flags some worrying trends for employers: 58% of employees claiming to be experiencing mild symptoms of anxiety, and 18% that they have already been diagnosed with a mental health problem.

There is a gender divide. In the study, carried out by Champion Health, 37% of men reported symptoms of anxiety and 32% of depression, compared with 62% of women reporting anxiety and 61% of depression.

The main cause for stress was found to be levels of workload, followed by a ‘lack of control’, and ‘lack of support’. Outside of work, 30% of employees pointed to financial wellbeing as the biggest cause of stress.

On their own

Meanwhile, at the same time as more than half of employees are reporting mental wellbeing concerns post-Covid-19, relatively few are getting any support. Only 9% of employees say they are currently receiving support and treatment. 61% claim to have never received any kind of help. Three-quarters of those who have accessed support are women.

Sean Duggan, the CEO of the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network, is calling for the Government to map out a mental health recovery plan for the UK, looking at long-term policy and filling shortfalls in funding for NHS services.

Who’s on call?

“It’s critical that we, as a country, acknowledge that we’re living in a different world when it comes to mental wellbeing,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“The Champion Health report urges employers to think about the causes of stress in their organisation, and how these can be mitigated with more reasonable workloads and targets — based on an assumption that if things do go wrong the NHS will be there to deal with mental illnesses.

“Experience shows there isn’t the capacity, waiting times for appointments and treatments can be very long, and employees are put off from getting any help at all.

“In this context, immediate support through an EAP is an essential. Confidential professional support that’s always available and provides a channel into counselling when it’s needed.”