Home » Forums Keywords » Mental Health & HIV » Information, News, etc ..

Radical overhaul of support for people with mental health conditions - DWP press release 7th December 2009.

  • Post reply
1 reply [Last post]
Wed, 09/12/2009 - 3:41pm
John
John's picture
Offline
Last seen: 5 hours 51 min ago
Joined: 09/03/2008

 New specialist coordinators and dedicated advice lines for small businesses are part of a radical overhaul of support for people with mental health conditions.

Increasing job opportunities for people with mental health conditions and improving the wellbeing of workers is part of a wide-ranging new Government vision to enhance mental health services and boost the wellbeing of the whole population.

From today people with mental health conditions can rely on new support to help them manage their conditions so they can stay in work or get back to work as quickly as possible if they lose their job or have never worked.

The new support includes:

Ministers from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the Department of Health (DH) and the Cabinet Office outlined the Government’s vision.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Yvette Cooper said:

“The vast majority of people with mental health conditions work, but for some people it can be very hard to stay in a job. If people fall out of work and onto benefits it is even harder for them to get back into work as it can be a real knock to their confidence.

“We know that work is good for people and that’s why we want to give everyone the support they need to stay in a job, or get back to work. Today we are giving people with mental health conditions this support. We are also helping employers understand what they can do to help people stay in their jobs and manage their condition so that they don’t have to leave work and fall onto benefits at all.”

Secretary of State for Health Andy Burnham said:

“Life-threatening conditions like cancer or heart disease prompt sympathy and understanding. But mental health is all too often shrouded in mystery, stigma or simply forgotten.

“Depression is a huge public health challenge – it affects one in six people and causes one of the main disabling conditions in this country. Needless deaths from suicide are the second most common cause of death in men aged 15–44.

“We are determined to tackle this by bringing forward a radical new approach to mental health. New Horizons follows a decade of record investment in mental health services - there are now more consultant psychiatrists, more clinical psychologists and more mental health nurses than ever before.

"This strategy includes a national roll out of our successful talking therapies programme, NICE guidelines, new action on suicide prevention and a plan to tackle the stigma shrouding mental illness."

“Good mental health services are a vital part of a modern, preventative and people-centred National Health Service."

New Horizons: A Shared Vision for Mental Health, launched today, is the Government’s new over-arching vision for mental health in England to improve services and help prevent people developing mental health illness.  It will tackle depression for people of all ages; work to reduce suicides improve outreach to help excluded groups access support; and tackle the stigma around mental illness.

The DWP also commissioned a review led by Dr Rachel Perkins to offer advice on improving support for people who are out of work and have mental health conditions which is also launched today.

Dr Rachel Perkins said:

“People with mental health conditions remain among the most excluded within our society, particularly in the workplace. We know that work improves mental health and wellbeing and most people with a mental health condition would like to be in work and pursue a career.

“The review’s recommendations are wide-ranging and challenging for Government. However, at their heart they set a vision for how employment, health and social services can better work together to provide co-ordinated support for people with mental health conditions.”

The UK Government and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales are also setting out its vision and support to help wellbeing at work for everyone and deliver better employment results for people with mental health conditions today through the following publications:

In addition the Government is launching:

Mental ill-health is the most common reason for claiming health-related benefits and costs the economy between £30bn and £40bn through lost production, sick pay, NHS treatment as well as the personal and financial costs that result from being out of work.

The human, social and economic cost of mental illness is immense. One in six people have a mental health problem and it is the second most common cause of death in men ages 14-44.

Notes to Editors:

  1. DWP reports can be found at  www.dwp.gov.uk/realising-ambitions
  2. The DoH report – new Horizons can be found at www.dh.gov.uk
  3. An occupational health advice line for small businesses is being piloted in seven regions of England (East Anglia; Merseyside; North East; North and West Yorkshire; Portsmouth, South Hampshire, East Sussex & Isle of Wight; South Buckinghamshire, South Oxfordshire, West Berkshire; and West London), and across the whole of Scotland and Wales. The advice lines for all pilots will be open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (9am to 4.30pm on Friday in Scotland). The advice lines will be operating from 7 December. DWP will work with the NHS to deliver the service, which is funded by DWP.
  1. The mental health coordinator network is launched today, when a coordinator will be in place in every Jobcentre Plus district. They will build practical links between health and employment services at local level, encourage an employment focus in locally commissioned working age health service, particularly mental health services, and provide mental health and wellbeing guidance for advisers. The network is funded by DWP.
  2. New Horizons builds on an unprecedented period of growth and investment in mental healt. Over the past ten years, the Government has put in place measures to protect people’s mental health. Measures include:

Media Enquiries: 0203 267 5125
 Out of hours: 07659 108 883
 Website: www.dwp.gov.uk

Top
Wed, 09/12/2009 - 5:43pm
#1
anonymous (not verified)
anonymous's picture
Health, work and well-being - DWP Policy

The Government aims to improve the general health and well-being of the whole of our working age population. This will, in turn, reduce the number of people taking sick leave and claiming sickness benefits.

Working alongside employers, trades unions and healthcare professionals, we will:

  • create healthier workplaces;
  • ensure provision of good occupational health services;
  • enhance rehabilitation support; and,
  • seek to provide employment opportunities for those currently not in work due to ill health or disability.

The Health, Work and Well-being Strategy is a partnership between the Department of Health, Department for Work and Pensions, Health and Safety Executive, Welsh Assembly Government and Scottish Executive. We want the health and well-being of people of working age to be given the attention it deserves. This will ensure that more people are able to work, they are happy and healthy at work, and that those with health problems or disabilities can benefit from improved working opportunities.

As part of the Health, Work and Well-being Strategy the DWP and DH jointly commissioned Dame Carol Black, the National Director for Health and Work, to review the health of Britain’s working age population. The Review, 'Working for a healthier tomorrow', set out numerous recommendations for action, targeting a broad range of stakeholders including: healthcare professionals; employers; Government and individuals. 

'Improving health and work: changing lives'  the Government's Response to 'Working for a healthier tomorrow', was published on 25 November 2008.

The Response set out the Government’s commitment to improving the health of the working age population. It marks another milestone in the journey towards the vision of creating a society where the positive links between work and health are recognised by all, where everyone can aspire to a healthy and fulfilling working life, and where health conditions and disabilities are not a bar to enjoying the benefits of work.

More information on the Health, Work and Well-being Strategy, Dame Carol’s Review 'Working for a healthier tomorrow' and the Government’s Response 'Improving health and work: changing lives' can be found on the Working for Health website: www.workingforhealth.gov.uk

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/health-work-and-well-being/

Top
  • reply

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
X
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Loading