‘Support 2 Work’ is being co-created with patients in contact with employment advisors in NHS Talking Therapies and the public to understand the social and economic impacts of employment advisors on improving mental health and the way people do their jobs.
Professor Rowena Jacobs is the Deputy Head of Department at the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York, and is leading the ‘Support 2 Work’ project.
She said: “One in five workers have a mental health problem and many people with mental health problems are not working. This has a big impact on people, employers, the NHS and the economy.”
Employment advisors work with Talking Therapies therapists to help people start, stay in, or go back to work.
Professor Jacobs says the nationwide study aims to see if different groups of people benefit more or less from seeing an employment advisor, which clinicians and researchers hope in the long term could help decrease healthcare costs and improve the economy.
“Employment advisors can help people find jobs they enjoy or make changes at work, which can in turn improve their mental health,” she says.
“There are currently no studies that have looked at the NHS Talking Therapies Employment Advisors programme in detail, therefore ‘Support 2 Work’ will be the first of its kind and provide an insight into the service’s effectiveness.”
The project has received funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s (NIHR) Work and Health Research Initiative. Other partners include the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Canada, the Office for National Statistics, PCMIS Health Technologies, University of Sheffield and University of Strathclyde.
Notes to editors:
About Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV):
TEWV provides mental health and learning disability services to people of all ages in County Durham, Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.
About National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR):
The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. We do this by:
- Funding high quality, timely research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care
- Investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services
- Partnering with patients, service users, carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research
Attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges - Collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system
- Funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low and middle income countries.
NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its work in low and middle income countries is principally funded through UK international development funding from the UK government.
