Welsh mental health initiative reaches UK final - 15 November 2007
A Welsh initiative to promote and improve mental health and well-being in work has received UK recognition for the benefits delivered to employees and employers.
The Healthy Minds at Work project was a finalist in the Health, Work and Well Being section of the National Business Awards, which are sponsored by the Government's Department of Health and Department of Work and Pensions.
Led by Remploy, which is the UK’s leading provider of employment services for people with disabilities and health conditions, Healthy Minds at Work was set up to provide integrated support to help people with mental health issues to remain in work.
The project has brought together 45 partner organisations to share resources that benefit employers and employees, and the wider community.
Remploy manager Mike Clarke, who is the Healthy Minds at Work Project Director, said, “There has long been a lack of joined-up support for people with mental health issues, and the result has been that many people leave employment and move on to benefits – often never to return to paid employment. Healthy Minds at Work sought to tackle that issue for the benefit of all partners’ employees.
“We developed a joined-up approach, that has enabled people to be provided with the right kind of support and advice. We set up an advice centre where people could call as a first step. From there we can assist them to get the help they need. Often, people require very simple and non-medical support – such as help with time off for family reasons, or changes in working arrangements for physical or other reasons. We have been able to help by our intervention with supportive employers and other organisations.”
Mr Clarke added, “The Healthy Minds initiative has produced startling results which are currently being validated by Cardiff University. Part of the project involved using the systems, knowledge and partnerships services to support 200 people and their employers. Each person was signed off from work by their GP for stress, anxiety or depression and had been absent from work for periods between six weeks and two years.
“Using purely Vocational Rehabilitation and condition management interventions, a return to work rate of more that 90 per cent was achieved within an average of four weeks.”
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