Rising numbers of people with mental health issues are being given employment advice as part of a drive to get them back to work, NHS data suggests.
New figures from NHS England show 67,794 people began receiving employment advice through the NHS talking therapies programme last year, compared to 41,907 in the previous 12 months – a rise of 62%.
Some 1.8 million referrals were made to NHS talking therapies overall, with more than 1.2 million people starting treatment.
The programme is designed to help people with conditions such as anxiety and depression, and can see them linked up with an employment adviser if they want help finding or keeping work.
Advisers help with finding roles, CV writing, prepping for interviews, looking at reasonable adjustments in the workplace for anyone with a disability and setting goals.
In November, there were 119,931 referrals for adults to NHS talking therapies who were waiting for an assessment.
Around half had been waiting less than two weeks and 91,000 less than six weeks, according to NHS England.
It comes after figures published late last year showed that people’s pay and job prospects improved if they could access talking therapy.
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found completing a course of NHS talking therapy was “associated with a sustained improvement in labour market outcomes” compared with a year before treatment started.
It found that the probability of being a paid employee within seven years of starting treatment increased to a maximum of a 1.5 percentage points, while monthly employee pay increased by £17 per month two years after treatment.
Those people who were unemployed and seeking work at the time of referral benefited the most from completing treatment, the ONS said.
This group saw the biggest increase in probability of being a paid employee in the years soon after their treatment and, by year seven, they saw a monthly pay increase of £63.
Previous data has shown the top reasons for ill-health-related economic inactivity are mental illness and musculoskeletal disorders (MSK) such as back pain.
According to the Government, the number of workers aged 16 to 34 who say mental ill health limits the type or amount of work they can do has increased more than fourfold over the past decade, and mental health is now the leading work-limiting health condition among people aged 44 and younger.
But mental health charities have said more than two million people are on waiting lists for NHS mental health services and too many people cannot get the support they need.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said of the latest data: “With more people in well-paid, secure work, we will boost living standards and get the economy growing.”
Claire Murdoch, the NHS national mental health director, said: “Employment and mental health are closely linked, and it is fantastic to see our world-leading NHS talking therapy service which supports more than 1.2 million people a year is not only helping people get back into work, but improving their job and pay prospects too.
“As part of treating people’s mental illness, NHS England supports people to achieve their goals including getting back to work, with research showing that employment can help improve symptoms of anxiety or depression.
“Anyone can sign themselves up to NHS talking therapies online at nhs.uk or by contacting their GP, so if you are struggling with anxiety or depression please come forward for support.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “It is vital that patients can get the support they need, to improve their mental health and help them back to work.
“This government will transform mental health services, recruiting more than 8,500 mental health professionals, introducing mental health support in every school, and investing in talking therapies for an extra 380,000 patients next year.”
Minesh Patel, associate director of policy at Mind, said it was positive to see an increase in people starting talking therapies, but added: “Evaluation of this programme found that it is best suited to people who have either left work recently or are looking for support to stay in work – with limited evidence of positives for people who have been out of work for longer periods.
“Programmes like this cannot replace individual placement and support, which helps those people with more serious mental health problems who want to move towards employment.
“It’s also important to remember that greater mental health support is needed for everyone, not just those able to work.
“With two million people on NHS waiting lists, it’s clear that much more needs to be done to get people the help they need, when they need it.”
