More support needed to get people back into work 

For years Rethink Mental Illness has campaigned to improvement employment for people living with mental illness, including:  

• Calling for an end to legal discrimination against people living with mental illness. 
• Shining a light on how the welfare and employment system is failing. 
• Rallying people with a mental illness to use their voice and shape the welfare system. 

But more support is needed. In 2022, the Office for National Statistics said 2.5 million people reported long-term sickness from work with a 22% increase in mental illness since 2019 being the reason. 

In our response to the government, we argue the need to reframe the issue from a problem to a chance to step in and improve people’s lives, including access to services like Individual Placement and Support.

Building communities that care

A community that provides support for people severely affected by mental illness - such as employment, supported housing, debt advice, advocacy – gives everyone the chance to thrive, not just survive. 

A survey in 2019 revealed only 23% of people with a mental illness were offered support finding a job or staying in work. 

Our Building Communities that Care report outlines a blueprint for best supporting someone with a mental illness within their own community.

Holding the government to account

The 2023 Budget recognised how poor mental health stops a huge number of people with a severe mental illness from working. It’s great to see issues like this being raised, but suggestions of stricter sanctions from the Department for Work and Pensions will be a worry for a lot of people.  

There was also no reassurance of how mental health services will be supported to meet the rise in demand for mental health care.