Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Mental health conditionsOccupational Health

Global report calls on UK to tackle mental ill health at work

by Nic Paton 7 Mar 2014
by Nic Paton 7 Mar 2014

Mental ill health costs the UK around £70 billion every year – roughly the equivalent of 4.5% of GDP – in lost productivity, benefit payments and healthcare expenditure, a major report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has concluded.

The report, Mental health and work: United Kingdom, recommended better policies and practices by employers and the health system are needed to help people deal with mental health issues and get back to work.

Controversially, it also argued it could be beneficial for the Government to make its new Health and Work Service (HWS) mandatory for employers and to put in place a system of sanctions for firms that fail to use it or support their employees adequately.

The report calculated that around one million claimants on employment and support allowance, and as many on jobseeker’s allowance and other working-age benefits, had a mental disorder such as anxiety and depression that was damaging their prospects of finding work.

“The majority of benefit claimants with mental health problems need a combination of health and employment interventions to improve their chances of finding a suitable job,” the report stated.

“Positive changes are also taking place to inform general practitioners about common mental disorders and return-to-work issues, but more systematic action in dealing with workplace matters is needed through a revised training curriculum.”

It recommended that UK authorities:

  • ensure that the new HWS is implemented quickly “and universally”, with a strong focus on mental health and those still in work and with much stronger involvement of employers;
  • increase the attention to mental health and its effect on employability and work capacity in all parts of the welfare system;
  • increase resources and “refine financial incentives” for employment service providers to ensure better employment outcomes for customers with mental health problems;
  • build on recently improved integration of health and employment services to make sure that integrated health and employment interventions for those with mental health issues are widely available; and
  • further expand access to psychological therapies for those with a common mental disorder.

Mental health campaigners broadly welcomed the report. But Paul Farmer, chief executive of the mental health charity Mind, said it highlighted the importance of employees being able to access specialist support, whether through the new service or elsewhere.

“Early intervention is key to supporting good mental health, and the new [HWS] is an opportunity to help individuals get the right support at the right time. For the service to be effective, however, we need to see case managers with expertise in mental health who are able to recognise the impact a complex, fluctuating condition can have on somebody’s ability to work,” he said.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

In a separate development, in January the Government set out a mental health “action plan” designed to help the one person in four who will suffer from a mental health problem at some point in their life.

In a recent press release, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said that it was time to bring mental health “out of the shadows”, make mental health “matter” and for mental ill health to be given the same priority as physical ill health.

Nic Paton

Nic Paton is consultant editor at Personnel Today. One of the country's foremost workplace health journalists, Nic has written for Personnel Today and Occupational Health & Wellbeing since 2001, and edited the magazine from 2018.

previous post
Disability discrimination: 10 conditions employers might overlook
next post
Driving value from health and wellness benefits

You may also like

Uncertainty over law hampering legal use of medical...

20 May 2025

Employers ‘worryingly’ ignorant about stress risk assessments

20 May 2025

Awareness weeks fuel spike in demand for mental...

19 May 2025

Four ways employers can reduce the risk of...

14 May 2025

Healthcare workers prioritise mental health support in new...

12 May 2025

Two-thirds of school leaders suffering mental ill health

6 May 2025

‘Healthy work’ about much more than access to...

28 Apr 2025

Tool developed for employers to calculate cost of...

28 Apr 2025

Why employers must do more to support all...

24 Apr 2025

How to help employees quit vaping before new...

22 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today