It is hoped that the government funded ‘Access to Work Mental Health’ self referral service will assist more than 1,600 people with mental health conditions to stay in employment while they receive support.
Currently one in six people in the UK suffer from depression, anxiety or unmanageable stress at any one time and some 70 million working days are lost every year due to ill mental health.
It is also the case that staff turnover as a result of employees leaving their jobs due to mental ill health costs £2.4 billion and absenteeism associated with depression and anxiety disorders cost the UK £12 billion each year.
Remploy, experts in specialist employment services, can help a business or company retain staff, while saving recruitment and operating costs and supporting people to stay in work.
To be eligible for this service; individuals must self refer with or without the employers consent, be in temporary or permanent employment and have a mental health condition which has resulted in workplace absence or is causing difficulties to remaining at work.
The ‘in work’ support is available to employees for a maximum period of six months from the date of self-referral and includes the following:
- A personal counselling service, mediation or other tailored mental health support for the individual
- Provision of a specified action plan, progress report and exit report
- Employer education
- Assessing an individual’s needs and identifying coping strategies
- Identifying reasonable adjustments within the workplace or with working practice
