Expanding access to NHS Talking Therapies could tackle joblessness, research suggests
Providing better access to NHS Talking Therapies around the country could help tackle long-term economic inactivity faced by people with entrenched mental health problems, researchers at the University of Manchester have concluded.
An analysis of labour force participation in annual population survey data and variation in access to NHS therapy around the country found a link between economic activity and provision of services.
The findings, published in the International Journal of Mental Health Systems, suggest that offering more NHS Talking Therapy appointments could have wider impacts on people being in work.
They looked at data from more than 535,000 working‑age adults between 2015 and 2020 alongside regional figures on the volume of appointments per referral received by NHS Talking Therapies services.
It showed that people reporting long‑term mental health problems were less likely to be in the labour force than those without such conditions – a participation gap of 36%.
After adjusting for a wide range of personal and local factors, the researchers found that increasing the volume of supply of talking therapies by one additional appointment offered per referral in the average region, equivalent to about 22% more appointments, was associated with a 0.92‑percentage‑point reduction in the labour force participation gap.
They also found that the association was strongest among people aged 45 to 65, those not claiming benefits, and men.
Overall, there was a 0·7% lower proportion of observations with a long-term mental health problem and a 2·8% higher proportion of labour force participation in regions of high supply, they reported.
The findings could suggest that regions with high-supply of NHS Talking Therapies had healthier populations and higher levels of labour force participation to begin with.
But an alternative interpretation is that high-supply regions allocated more funding to mental health services because they served populations with greater need, which, in turn, resulted in better health and labour market outcomes.
Previous research has looked individual patient impact of NHS Talking Therapies but this is the first to analyse differences in therapy provisions across areas, the researchers noted.
Only around one‑fifth of working‑age adults with a mental health diagnosis receive a course of NHS Talking Therapies, they added.
The latest NHS figures show there were 151,810 referrals to talking therapies in February and 67% finished a course of treatment.
Study lead Joe Dodd, a researcher from The University of Manchester said: ‘Our findings suggest that improving access to psychological therapies doesn’t just support people’s wellbeing – it may also help close the long‑standing labour market gaps experienced by those with mental health problems.
‘As governments look for ways to boost labour force participation, mental health policy should be part of that conversation.
‘Policymakers should consider the indirect economic effects of expanding psychological therapy services when designing future mental health strategies.’
Pulse has approached the Department for Health and Social Care for comment.
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