• £122 million boost to service will give those receiving mental health support the opportunity to speak to employment advisers
• Employment advisers and therapists will work together so that a person can return to or find work easier and faster – driving economic growth

Across England, people with common mental health problems like stress, anxiety and depression will have access to an employment adviser thanks to new Government funding.

£122 million is being invested to roll out a vital NHS England service nationally, providing those who receive mental health support with employment advice to help them stay in work or return to the job market quicker, with the right support in place.

The service brings therapists and employment advisers together to help people with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression find work tailored to them. With strong evidence that being in work improves mental health, supporting more people into work will not only fuel a thriving labour market, but also increase individual prosperity.

Continued support to help individuals focus on and progress in their careers will in turn help grow the economy.

Department of Work and Pensions Secretary of State, Chloe Smith said:

On World Mental Health Day, it is important to recognise the virtuous circle between health and work – we know that giving people the support they need to work is very good for their long term health.

The Government’s growth-focused agenda will deliver jobs, higher wages and greater opportunities – and I am delighted that people who have faced barriers to entering the workforce due to poor mental health will now be able to access support across England.

Helping people access both clinical support for their mental health as well as employment advice gives them the tools they need to get into or return to work. This is vital to helping drive down inactivity and growing our economy so we can deliver more money and support for public services such as these.

Health and Social Care Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, Thérèse Coffey, said:

Good physical health and mental wellbeing of the nation is also good for the economic health of the nation and this government is committed to supporting those not working due to ill health.

Giving people receiving mental wellbeing support access to an employment adviser will help them start, stay, and succeed in work – improving their wellbeing and resilience as well as growing our economy.

Claire Murdoch, NHS national mental health director, said:

The NHS is committed to keep doing its part to support those with mental health issues who want to work, and offering employment advice from experienced advisors through our Talking Therapies services across the country is a fantastic and important development, especially in times of economic challenges and increased need for mental health support.

We know that being in work has many benefits for our mental health and wellbeing, from increasing our sense of purpose to providing a structured routine, and while thousands of people already benefit from this ground-breaking service, this wider country-wide rollout means all people struggling with anxiety and depression will be able to access both our usual NHS Talking Therapies offer, via their GP or online registration to their local service, and expert employment advice, in all areas of the country.

Referral to Improved Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT), often referred to as ‘NHS talking therapies’ services, can be through a GP, healthcare professional, or through self-referral. The use of IAPT services, taking part in psychological treatment, and employment support is purely voluntary.

NHS England Therapists and employment advisers already work together in 40% of the country. Over the three-year spending review period the service will be extended nationally with recruitment and training of around 700 employment advisers so that up to 100,000 people can receive the combined offer each year from 2024 to 2025, accessing the support to start, stay and succeed in work.

The service is already fully operational in Cheshire and The Wirral, providing people with the support to get back on their feet and back into work. Employment advisers provide compassionate support for those who have been through truly difficult times.

Testimonials:

Peter*

After the death of his wife and assuming sole caring responsibilities for his two children, Peter had been out of work with grief and stress for two years. After using his local talking therapies Peter self-referred himself to employment advisers, he worked with his employment adviser to find roles that would be manageable with his childcare commitments and help him benefit from the social aspects of returning to work. To prepare him for job interviews and build his confidence, the employment adviser helped Peter complete interview training and provided him with guidance on returning to work after a long absence. Through the support of his employment adviser, Peter is now in flexible part-time employment as a salesman and delivery driver and is excited he is working in a role that suits his lifestyle.

Carol*

Carol was absent from employment for a period of two years as she cared for her parents up until their deaths. Carol suffered with anxiety due to this and went to talking therapies to help. After this period Carol felt employment would help with her confidence. Carol worked with her employment adviser to improve her CV, enhance her job searching skills and build up her confidence. The employment adviser also helped refine Carol’s interview skills, which eased her anxiety and supported her to be successful at a job interview for a care home. Once offered the job, Carol was further supported with guidance on returning to work after a prolonged period of absence. She has now completed her training at the care home and through the support she has received, her life has changed drastically for the better.

*Not their real names

Further Information:

• IAPT services were first launched in 2008. IAPT services provide psychological therapy to people with depression and anxiety to help them to recover from and improve the self-management of their common mental health condition.
• EAs in IAPT is a voluntary service that enables those that request it to access combined psychological treatment and employment support to help them to remain in, return to or find work and improve their mental health.

Media enquiries for this press release – 0115 965 8781

More primary school pupils will benefit from high quality phonics and expert literacy teaching as part of new funding announced today (Sunday 9 October).

Over £24 million is set to be invested in building children’s literacy skills as the government continues to support pupils’ recovery from the pandemic and work towards the target of 90% of primary children reaching the expected standard in literacy and numeracy.

The announcement marks the conclusion of Dyslexia Awareness Week, with targeted literacy support playing a pivotal role in helping pupils with dyslexia develop all-important reading and writing skills.

The investment is part of the Government’s commitment to make sure every young person leaves school with a strong grasp of literacy and maths, and sits alongside further targeted support such as the National Tutoring Programme.

Education Secretary Kit Malthouse said:

If any child leaves schools without the ability to read and write properly, we have failed them.

It is imperative that we support schools and pupils following the disruption of the pandemic. This funding will help us do that, but also help to instil a love of reading in young people that can last throughout their education and beyond.

Rachel Davis, Headteacher and Strategic Lead, Little Sutton English Hub said:

The funding available to schools to implement validated phonics programmes has been wide reaching, particularly with the introduction of the Accelerator Fund programme last year.

Our team of highly trained Literacy Specialists have worked with schools to deepen their understanding of the impact of phonics teaching.

Crucially, our work in the English Hubs Programmes has given staff the ability to identify specific barriers to individual pupils’ learning and implement precise, swift intervention. This has helped children who find reading more difficult to achieve success. It has also greatly supported schools in their Covid Recovery programme.

The funding will support the continuation and growth of the English Hubs Programme, enabling even more schools to embed high quality phonics teaching and benefit from the intensive support and access to literacy specialists.

The programmes will help build children’s confidence and ability to read and write, including for those with dyslexia, and provide a solid foundation for children to build upon so they can develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both information and for fun.

Building on the Accelerator Fund – which helps schools access specialist programmes of support for pupils and has so far seen £4 million distributed to over 450 schools – this funding will boost existing programmes in schools to support pupils’ learning to read.

Phonics approaches, when embedded in a rich literacy environment, are amongst the most effective methods of teaching children to read, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, according to evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF).

This sits alongside the Government’s commitment to support schools with early identification of need and intervention for children who require extra support, as clearly outlined in the Schools White Paper, SEND Review and Alternative Provision Green Paper.

• First step in legal action taken against freeholder failing to fix building safety defects
• Owners of Vista Tower told to start remedial works or be forced to by the courts
• Act marks next step in using new powers to ensure action on building safety

The Department for Levelling up has taken the first step in legal action against Grey GR, an organisation ultimately owned by RailPen, protecting residents and ensuring proper building safety.

Grey GR Limited Partnership, the freeholder of Vista Tower, a fifteen-storey tower block in Stevenage, has been given 21 days to commit to remediating the tower’s fire safety defects or an application will be made to the courts.

This action follows two years of delays for more than 100 residents living in the tower and reaffirms the government’s commitment to making sure building owners, landlords and developers meet their legal obligations and protect tenants in their own homes.

The freeholder is one of the first to face action by the newly created Recovery Strategy Unit, set up to identify and pursue firms who repeatedly refuse to fix buildings, working closely with other enforcement authorities.

Levelling Up Secretary of State, Simon Clarke said:

“The lives of over 100 people living in Vista Tower have been put on hold for over two years whilst they wait for Grey GR to remediate unsafe cladding.  Enough is enough.

“This legal action should act as a warning to the rest of industry’s outliers – big and small. Step up, follow your peers and make safe the buildings you own or legal action will be taken against you.”

Sophie Bichener, leaseholder in Vista Tower said:

“We thank the Government for helping us, and leaseholders across the country – Vista Tower residents simply want to live in safe and secure homes.

“This action is a step in the right direction for the innocent leaseholders still desperately pleading with their building owners to take responsibility.

“Now the leaseholder protections are in force – it should serve as a warning to those entities still playing games and doing all they can to dodge their legal obligations.”

Leaseholders of Vista Tower have been handed bills and unable to sell, despite unsafe cladding being identified on the building over two years ago.

Whilst the building registered with the Building Safety Fund in 2020, the funding agreement is yet to be signed, meaning the government cannot release any money.

There are at least 23 other buildings registered with the Building Safety Fund that have been unable to progress due to unnecessary delays. The department is examining these cases closely and considering next steps.

The Secretary of State will also consider issuing an application for a Remediation Contribution Order against other entities associated with Grey GR including Railways Pension Trustee Company Limited (RailPen) and Railtrust Holdings Limited (Railtrust), requiring them to financially contribute to the remediation costs.

Leaseholders are now able to apply for a remedial order and are encouraged to do so if the owner of their building is failing in their responsibilities. More guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-sure-remediation-work-is-done#how-does-this-affect-me-the-leaseholder

• New campaign launched after 7 in 10 Brits report regularly experiencing the ‘Sunday Scaries’, mostly impacting young adults
• Over four million Mind Plans have been created since the campaign first launched in October 2019
• Campaign backed by celebrity advocates Vick Hope, Scarlett Moffatt, Tom Grennan, and leading psychologist Kimberley Wilson

The public is urged to “be kind to your mind” as the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID)  launches the latest  Better Health – Every Mind Matters campaign.

Ahead of World Mental Health Day, which begins on Monday 10 October, the campaign calls on people to do small things which can make a big difference to their mental wellbeing and directs them to free tips and advice.

New research commissioned by OHID reveals almost 7 in 10 Brits report regularly experiencing the ‘Sunday Scaries’ (67%), increasing to three quarters (74%) for those aged 18-24. Work stresses, lack of sleep and looming to-do lists were reported as the top causes of feelings of stress or anxiety on a Sunday

By answering five simple questions through the Every Mind Matters website people can get a personalised ‘Mind Plan’ giving them tips to help deal with stress and anxiety, boost their mood, sleep better and feel more in control.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Thérèse Coffey, said:

My focus is on making sure people can get the care they need, when they need it – and that includes for their mental wellbeing.

The Every Mind Matters tool is a great way to build your mental resilience and help ward off the anxiety many of us feel on a Sunday.

Famous faces – including BBC Radio 1 host Vick Hope, TV personality Scarlett Moffatt and pop star Tom Grennan, along with leading psychologist Kimberley Wilson – are backing the new campaign and calling on the nation to be kind to their mind and help deal with feelings of anxiety by doing small things that can make a big difference.

The ‘Sunday Scaries’ are shown to peak just after 5pm for many as thoughts and worries turn to the week ahead; with Google searches around sadness spiking on a Sunday as people turn to the internet for help. Searches for ‘trouble sleeping’ also peak on a Monday, reflecting the nation’s struggle to unwind as the weekend draws to a close.

In fact, searches for anxiety have increased 170% in the last 10 years.

To distract themselves from the ‘Sunday Scaries’ young people aged 18-24 are most likely to scroll on social media, whereas those aged 25-32 are most likely to binge watch TV and those aged 33-40 are most likely to comfort eat.

Every Mind Matters is an important tool for early intervention to build mental resilience. Preventing people’s mental health from deteriorating is a key part of the government’s Plan for Patients supporting people to stay well and stay within the community.

Over four million Mind Plans have been created since the campaign first launched in October 2019 and the Every Mind Matters website provides a range of other resources, as well as dedicated support to help parents and guardians look after the mental wellbeing of the children and young people they care for.

Psychologist, Kimberley Wilson, said:

Many people experience a feeling of heightened anticipatory anxiety on a Sunday, otherwise known as the ‘Sunday Scaries’. Often when people feel sad or anxious, they spend time trying to distract themselves, by binge watching TV or spending hours scrolling on social media, for example. But these ‘distraction’ habits can actually exacerbate the problem.

It’s so important to enjoy every last minute of your weekend and start the week in the best frame of mind. So, if you experience the Sunday Scaries like clockwork every week or feel sad or anxious, try getting active, which can help you to burn off nervous energy, writing down or keeping a diary of what you are doing and how you feel at different times to help identify what’s causing anxiety and what you need to do to help manage it. Small things can make a big difference to our mental wellbeing.

Pop star, Tom Grennan, said:

I still experience this anticipatory anxiety; it can come out of nowhere, it doesn’t have to be on a Sunday! Sometimes it hits before a show but sometimes it’s just a general feeling I can’t immediately shake. I’ve found that keeping up my fitness and really prioritising exercise has helped me stay focused and my other tasks are easier to manage. Keeping my diet consistent has helped too, like staying away from too much caffeine and keeping everything balanced helps to ease anxiety. Do something for yourself this weekend and please be kind to your mind!

TV personality, Scarlett Moffatt, said:

We’ve all been there when you’re trying to relax and enjoy the last few moments of the weekend but can’t stop worrying about the week ahead! For me, getting outside and going for a walk with a friend really helps to lift my mood and puts me in the best frame of mind. No matter how much time you have, incorporating small actions into your routine can really help to your mental wellbeing either on a Sunday or whenever anxiety strikes.

• The assets for the campaign can be found here: EMM Assets
• Search Every Mind Matters for more free ways to be kind to your mind. Take the free, Mind Plan quiz  to get a personalised mental health action plan with practical tips to help you deal with stress, anxiety, low mood and trouble sleeping.
• The research was commissioned by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and  conducted by Censuswide. It used a sample of 4013 general respondents aged 18-50 in England. The data was collected between 21.09.2022 – 26.09.2022