The Royal College of Psychiatrists has
launched a new online resource offering information and guidance
about returning to work after a period of mental ill-health.
The Work
and Mental Health website is divided into four main parts, and
is aimed at workers, carers, employers and clinicians. Each section
signposts relevant information and provides useful links to
resources from other organisations.
The website explains how work can be good for
people’s mental health and well-being – and can play a positive
part in people’s recovery. It shows how employers may provide
effective support at work for people with a history of mental
ill-health, and how clinicians can support people returning to
work.
The website has been developed by a
multiprofessional working group, including psychiatrists,
occupational health clinicians, GPs, nurses, psychologists, HR
professionals, and mental health service users.
Dr Jed Boardman, the Royal College of
Psychiatrists’ lead for social inclusion, said: “The development of
this website has given us a wonderful opportunity to stress the
importance of work for people with mental health problems. Work
provides more than a wage; it is a significant part of a person’s
identity and provides a means of participation in broader society.
This new website not only provides a new information resource for
people with mental health problems, clinicians and employers, but
also stresses the importance of collaboration between these key
groups of people and the potential benefits for all.”
Dr Paul Litchfield, BT Group Chief Medical
Officer and chair of the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of
Occupational Medicine, said: “Mental health problems represent the
most common cause of extended sickness absence for people of
working age in the UK. The workplace, work colleagues and work
itself can all be important factors in either facilitating or
impeding recovery. In most cases simple measures can make the
difference between doing good and doing harm but many workers,
managers and healthcare professionals do not know what to
do. This online resource is therefore an important element in
improving knowledge about mental health at work, and in
contributing to a healthier and more productive workforce.”
The resource was developed in partnership with
the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Lord Freud, Minister
for Welfare Reform said: “We know that work is good for people's
mental health and this guidance will be a
valuable resource for workers, employers and clinicians alike,
who all have a role to play in supporting people back to work
after a period of mental ill-health.”
For further information, please
contact:
Liz Leicester
or Deborah Hart in the Communications
Department.
Telephone: 020 7235 2351 Extensions. 6298 or 6127
References:
Mental Health and Work is an online resource on the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ website: www.rcpsych.ac.uk/workandmentalhealth
Note to editors:
The guidance was developed with funding from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the third medical royal college to work in partnership with the DWP to produce public information. The Royal College of Surgeons of England and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have both produced patient information leaflets aimed at people returning to fitness and work after surgery.