NHS mental health job coaches help thousands into work

Thanks to the NHS Long Term Plan, thousands of people with mental health problems have been supported into employment during the pandemic.

NHS England reports that more than 4,000 people were employed over the last year in a range of roles including in retail and digital marketing as part of the employment support scheme run by the health service, the NHS Individual Placement and Support Scheme.

Since the scheme was rolled out in 2018, participants who live with bipolar, major depression or who have a personality disorder are referred to NHS’s Individual Placement and Support Scheme by their community mental health team.

As well as getting thousands into employment, the NHS service has given an extra 10,600 people wider support to prepare them for the job market including help with writing CVs, setting them career goals, and giving them the confidence to apply for vacancies.

The NHS Long Term Plan committed to helping tens of thousands of patients with severe mental illness into work through the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) scheme by 2023.

Claire Murdoch, NHS national mental health director, said: “Despite the pandemic having an enormous impact on our lives, the NHS has been able to help more than 4,000 people with mental health problems into employment. While we know that NHS care and treatment are important, so too are the benefits that being in employment can bring – it can boost confidence and reduce anxiety as stories like Stephen’s show.

“Quite often a service user with a mental health condition, perhaps struggling with their symptoms and isolated at home, wants to work. Helping someone into a job they really like, giving them a reason to get up in the morning allows them to be able to manage their symptoms better.”

Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, said: “We know the disability employment gap is still too wide and that for many people with mental health problems, fulfilling work and staying well go hand in hand. It is therefore encouraging to see the NHS supporting so many people’s wellbeing through getting into jobs.

“It’s clear how much can be achieved when people with severe mental illnesses are connected with the right employers, especially if they are then helped to stay in work and thrive, with their mental health supported. We know that delivering this service was a casualty of the pandemic, so it’s important that more trusts re-introduce the individual Placement Support scheme as they recover, and the NHS reaches its targets for thousands more people to be helped through it.”