Many people with mental ill-health can, and
do, continue to work successfully. In fact working can be
part of the recovery process and in some people it can help prevent
a mental health condition from getting worse. But, most people will
need some type of support to stay in work and to continue to
function well at work.
Clinicians play an important role in changing
how patients and their employers think about the relationship
between recovery from mental ill-health and starting or returning
to work. The message for employers and patients is different
from returning to work after a surgical procedure for example,
where guidance quoted for returning to physical tasks may be six
weeks to three months for most people depending on the nature of
the work. It is difficult to give such precise predictions
for many mental health conditions, but we do know that the longer a
person is off work the less likely they are to return. For
people with mental health problems it is important to begin
preparations to return to work early in the treatment process.
Treatment and return to work efforts should be done in
parallel and not sequentially. It is important therefore to
identify what type of tasks your patient can do and how work
patterns can be changed to accommodate this.
It makes good business sense for employers to
ensure that they implement policies to support people with mental
health conditions to work appropriately. A healthy workplace
protects and increases the productivity of employees by reducing
staff absence as well as staff presenteeism where staff turn up to
work but perform below their best.
Whether you work in primary care settings, occupational health
or in secondary care you have a key role to play in ensuring that
the right adjustments are in place for people with a mental health
condition to participate in work. The first part of this
support is the place that getting into or returning to work has in
your patient’s care plan. This section also includes
information on how long people with mental health problems may be
off work.
Links
to resources:
Centre
for Mental Health has undertaken a number of
projects on Recovery which aims to change the way in which mental
health services and practice can be changed to help people
recover their lives. The project has produced 10 top tips
which are steps that each professional can take to move towards
recovery-oriented practice. The
Implementing Recovery Organisational Change
(ImROC) project carried out with the NHS
confederation is concerned with the redesign of mental health
services.
The Centre for Mental Health has also produced
research identifying the benefits of work on mental and physical
health and well being as well as effective interventions to place
and support people with established mental health problems in the
workplace.
Fair deal for mental health is a campaign
by the Royal College of Psychiatrists which includes work on
Recovery as one of eight priority areas. The
recovery section includes resources and case
studies from around the UK.
Healthy Working
UK
This website has been developed in
collaboration with the Royal College of General Practitioners, the
Faculty of Occupational Medicine and Society of Occupational
Medicine and is based on the Healthy Working Wales pilot developed
by Cardiff University and the Welsh Assembly Government. It
provides GPs, primary healthcare professionals and clinicians
working in secondary care, with timely access to information,
training and decision aids to support the management of health and
work, including guidance and decision
aids on the Fit note
Rethink
This section has resources on recovery
including a guide for mental health professionals on supporting
recovery, reflections and testimonies from mental health service
users on their experiences of recovery.
Mental
Healthcare
This website aims to provide up to date and
reliable information about psychosis for family members and
friends. It includes resources from Institute of Psychiatry,
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust with support from
Rethink. The website has sections on recovery
and also on employment
Mental Health
Foundation
The Mental Health Foundation is a leading
mental health research, policy and service improvement charity.
Recovery and Resilience, March 2011 This
report includes narratives from African, African-Caribbean and
South Asian women's recovery from mental distress. The project was
commissioned by the National Mental Health Development Unit and
draws on positive stories of recovery and resilience and highlights
what helped women from these communities in their healing
process.
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