Keep mentally ill in work and off benefits - think-tank » Health » 24dash.com

More could be done to keep people with mental health conditions in work, a think-tank claimed today.

According to a new report from the Social Market Foundation, the Government should provide incentives to employers to provide services or insurance to support workers with mental health problems.

Shifting Responsibilities, Sharing Costs, published today by the SMF, outlines a programme of measures that would allow people suffering from common mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, to remain in work, rather than falling into the benefits system.

The impact of mental health issues on Britain is huge, with some estimating that as much as £77bn per year is lost to the economy through provision of services, benefit payments, and lost tax income.

Recognising this, the Government has pledged to get one million people off IB by 2015, 40% of whom claim the benefit because of mental ill health.

Commenting, SMF Senior Research Fellow Jessica Prendergrast, who co-authored the report, said: "There is a clear case of market failure in supporting people with mental health conditions.

"Mental illness comes at great cost to the state, employers, and the individuals concerned, yet in the current system there is little incentive to identify and treat such problems early.

"Workers are left in a ‘no-man’s land’ and often have to leave work. By helping employers to provide occupational health or rehabilitation support services to their employees, the Government can ensure that more people remain in work, and less money is spent overall.”

Policy recommendations include tax exemptions for employee assistance programmes and mental health medical insurance; tax credits for investment in mental well-being; and subsidies for SMEs, to purchase insurance products for their workforce.

The report is published two weeks after James Purnell, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, reiterated his willingness to use the voluntary and private sectors to reform Incapacity Benefit.

Mr Purnell will speak at a launch event for the book today in the House of Commons.

An embargoed PDF version of the book may be downloaded from:
http://www.smf.co.uk/assets/files/publications/SMF_Shifting_Responsibilities.pdf