Time to Change welcomes the launch of OpenYour Mind

We warmly welcome the launch of Open Your Mind, a new campaign by NHS Employers, who are working with Time to Change in a strategic partnership to tackle the stigma and discrimination around mental health.

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NATIONAL CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED TO END STIGMA AND IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH OF NHS STAFF

Mental ill health affects one in four people

55% say mental health stigma is a barrier to employment

NHS Employers is today launching a national campaign to end stigma against NHS workers with mental ill health, improve employment rates for people with mental health conditions and help trusts to create a better working environment for all staff.

The Open Your Mind campaign, supported by the Mental Health Network and the National Mental Health Development Unit, will identify and share good practice amongst NHS organisations and will be delivered through a variety of materials including training, a bespoke website, booklets, posters and postcards.  

Mental ill health will affect one in four people at some point in their working lives and 55 per cent of people with mental health conditions identify stigma as a barrier to employment. The costs to society of not dealing effectively with the issue of mental ill health in the workplace are great. It is estimated that 80 million work days are lost each year due to mental health conditions, with ten per cent of GDP lost due to work related stress.

With a workforce of 1.3 million, the NHS has the potential to touch the lives of many people living with mental ill health either directly or indirectly.

Evidence suggests that when adults with mental ill health have either a job or are engaged in employment focused activity, their health and well being is improved. Fewer than 16 per cent of people with a mental health condition (excluding depression) have a job and yet between 86 and 90 per cent of those want to work.

Open Your Mind will run throughout 2010 and will provide NHS organisations with information and resources for keeping their staff fit and healthy, as well as strategies for employing people with mental health conditions. The campaign will also offer information to NHS staff on how to spot early signs of mental ill health, where they can go for advice and how staff can support themselves.

Gill Bellord, director for core membership services, NHS Employers, said:

"As the UK's largest employer and as a provider of mental health services, it is right that the NHS should be a good example to other employers in how it manages and encourages the employment of people with mental health conditions, who comprise as many as one in four of the workforce.

"Studies have shown that employing people with mental health conditions is not only incredibly therapeutic for the individual but can have real benefits to the NHS, such as savings to mental health services. However, less than 16 per cent of people with a mental health condition, excluding depression, are actually in work. We need to work hard to make sure this situation changes and those with mental health conditions are given the opportunity to work if they are able and want to.

"Increasing the number of people with mental health conditions that the NHS employs also makes good business sense, as it delivers employees who are reliable and dedicated and often have a great empathy for the patients and communities we serve.

"Open Your Mind will provide the NHS with the resources to become an even better employer for all staff, particularly those with mental ill health, thus aiding recruitment and retention."

Steve Shrubb, director of the Mental Health Network, said:

"Improving employees' mental health and reducing stigma is not only good for individuals, it is also good for the NHS as a whole. We know that focusing on the health and wellbeing of staff leads to reduced sickness absence and improved retention. This in turn helps to relieve pressure on NHS services and reduce costs, meaning better services for patients.

"There is clear evidence that being in meaningful employment is extremely beneficial to the health of people with mental health conditions, yet unfortunately many people find it difficult to find employment and often don't feel supported once in work. Open Your Mind will help the NHS to lead the way in creating a supportive environment for all staff, including those with mental ill health."

Dr Ian McPherson, Director of the National Mental Health Development Unit, said:

"The National Mental Health Development Unit is delighted to be supporting this campaign as challenging discrimination and encouraging greater understanding of mental health problems by employers are central themes of the recently launched policy, New Horizons: a Shared Vision for Mental Health.

"As in every organisation, people working at all levels in the NHS experience mental health problems but rarely have felt able to be open about this, placing additional pressure on them, and reinforcing the myth that mental health problems exclude us from normal employment. The Open Your Mind campaign will help create the conditions for this to change and enable the NHS to be a role model in supporting increased employment of people with mental health conditions."