The government must continue to invest in NHS mental health hubs in England to prevent an exodus of health workers who are struggling with burnout, the health secretary has been urged.
An open letter signed by 18 organisations – including health unions and representative bodies for NHS employers, psychologists, psychiatrists, radiographers, anaesthetists and physiotherapists – has asked Victoria Atkins to restore funding for mental health and wellbeing services for NHS staff, social workers and social care staff.
Just 10 NHS mental health hubs – units that were set up to offer health workers rapid access to assessment and evidence-based mental health support – have confirmed some funding for the year ahead.
Of the original 40 hubs,18 have closed since March 2023, and a further three are set to close by the end of this month. Nine are yet to receive confirmation of whether they will have the funding to continue.
NHS mental health hubs
Investment in employee mental health key to tackling NHS workforce crisis
In July last year only £2.3m in funding was offered to the hubs – just a fraction of the original £38.5m investment available when they were set up in 2021.
The British Psychological Society said many health workers are still arriving at the hubs with complex mental health issues, and could have no other option but to give up work if they have to join long waiting lists for mainstream mental health services should the hubs close.
It claimed that 95% of the health workers treated at one hub returned to work or did not take sickness absence, while another hub found that 200 staff members returned to work from long-term sickness absence after accessing its services.
The letter to the health secretary pointed to the results of the recent NHS staff survey, which showed mental health and burnout are still major problems in the health service.
“As we approach the first anniversary of the removal of most ringfenced government funding for the NHS Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs, with all funding ending on 31 March 2024, NHS and social care staff are once again facing a postcode lottery of patchy mental health support,” the letter says.
“The Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs have been positively evaluated and their outreach model aims to end a cycle of staff waiting until reaching breaking point to seek support. They provide a range of evidence-based interventions to support individuals and teams across local systems, alongside vital preventative measures.
“We know that for every £1 spent on workplace mental health interventions, £5 is saved. Research estimates the financial cost to the NHS of poor wellbeing at £12.1 billion a year, and that around £1 billion could be saved by successfully tackling this issue in the long term, through sustained, ring-fenced investment at scale.
“However, with integrated care systems operating in significant financial deficits, funding for many services is hanging in the balance, leaving NHS staff, and in particular social care staff, without the appropriate level of help they need to maintain their mental health, and stay in their jobs.”
Dr Roman Raczka, president-elect of the British Psychological Society, said productivity in the NHS would not be improved without investment in the health of its workforce.
“We know senior NHS and social care leaders want to provide their workforces with the best possible support. They recognise how dedicated mental health support can help staff remain in their jobs, return from long term sickness and, crucially, prevent future ill-health,” he said.
“However, most integrated care systems are struggling to balance the books, and the funding simply isn’t there to provide these, sometimes lifesaving, services. That’s why together we’re calling on the government to act and help safeguard the mental health of this vital workforce, both now and in the future.”
Meanwhile, research from the Centre for Mental Health, one of the letter’s signatories, has found that the economic and social costs of mental ill health in England reached £300 billion in 2022, driven by sickness absence, presenteeism, staff turnover and unemployment.
The NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network chief executive Sean Duggan said: “This detailed financial analysis lays bare the cost of mental ill health to the nation. With the overall cost double the cost of the NHS’s entire annual budget, this simply cannot be ignored by policy makers. The false economy of failing to invest in mental health is making the country poorer and causing unspoken anguish to so many people and their loved ones. It is vital that we now invest in effective interventions that bring us closer to a mentally healthier nation for all.”
HR opportunities in Healthcare on Personnel Today
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
Browse more HR opportunities in healthcare
