The £99bn mental health crisis

26th Oct 2017

An independent review commissioned by Prime Minister Theresa May has been released which seeks to improve support for employees with mental health conditions

The ‘Thriving at work’ report, compiled by Paul Farmer and Lord Dennis Stevenson, examined the impact of mental health on the UK economy.

It also outlines the key role that employers and the government should take in the future to support workers with mental health conditions.

A major finding of the report is that each year as many as 300,000 people with mental health conditions lose their jobs, compared to the 200,000 job losses due to physical conditions.

By combining the annual cost of mental health conditions in the UK to both employers and the government, including the NHS, the authors estimate a total bill of up to £99 billion per year.

They also report on several recent meta-analyses of investments into improving mental health services, which looked at the potential economic benefit of spending more to train mental health staff.

They estimated that for every pound the UK invested in improving mental health services, the economy could see a return of up to £9.98.

39% of the companies surveyed, such as the insurer Aviva, had clear plans in place to support employees with mental health conditions.

This was matched with the finding that only 11% of employees had recently discussed their mental health with a line manager. Furthermore, up to 50% of employees claimed they would not discuss mental health with their supervisors.

The 84-page report suggests a framework for the government to adhere to with the aim to reduce stigma and improve support for mental health employees.

It also cites other successful campaigns across the globe, such as the Mental Health Commission of Canada, which has a strategic 5-year plan to improve mental health support.

Read the full report here.