The Liberal Democrats have pledged to fund mental health checks at the stages where people are at their most vulnerable to reduce levels of long-term sickness.
The party claimed that the UK is losing almost £3.7bn in tax revenue each year because of long-term sickness absence from work, based on figures from the Office of Budget Responsibility.
Around half of those who are economically inactive because of long-term sickness report they have a mental health condition such as depression or anxiety.
Mental health checks
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The Lib Dems have pledged to introduce regular mental health checks at points where people are most vulnerable to mental ill-health, including checks for new parents, children and young people, men in their 40s, carers and retirees.
The checks would identify early-stage mental health problems, provide guidance for patients about how to take care of their mental health and direct them to NHS mental health services for treatment should they need it.
It said the checks could be integrated into existing NHS services, such as physical health screenings or via health visitors seeing new parents.
The party said it would increase funding for NHS talking therapies if it won the general election, making them available to 100,000 more people over the next parliament. An additional £70m a year would be invested in talking therapies, funded through a clampdown on tax evasion.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said: “Rishi Sunak’s failure to cut NHS waiting lists is damaging the economy and blowing a hole in the public finances. Years of Conservative chaos have left us with a sick economy and a health service on its knees.
“Millions of people are struggling to see a GP, waiting months in pain for hospital treatment or struggling to access mental health support, leading to record numbers on long-term sick leave.
“The country cannot afford another five years of Conservative failure on the NHS. The Liberal Democrats would fix the NHS crisis to get the economy firing on all cylinders again, including through regular mental health checks to help support people at vulnerable points in their lives.”
A Lib Dem government would also introduce a carer’s minimum wage at £2 above the national minimum wage, and create a Royal College of Care Workers comparable to the Royal Colleges of Nursing and Midwives.
The Lib Dem leader, who is a carer for his disabled son and cared for his sick mother when he was young, has also pledged to offer free personal care to disabled or older people at home.
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