The following information has been supplied by the TUC:
The TUC has warned that the government's spending cuts risk reversing vital progress made in the recognition and treatment of mental health issues in the UK. Work-related mental health issues are responsible for around a third of all work-related sickness absence and many victims of stress or bullying need support to help them recover.
Earlier this month a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) survey found stress is now the number one cause of long-term absence in both manual and non-manual workers and confirmed a link between job insecurity and a marked increase in mental health problems. The website False Economy found that 17 NHS mental health trusts were facing significant staff redundancies, and many people who are off sick with mental health related issues are finding it more difficult to access support.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'The TUC fears that the government's spending cuts are undermining the increasing recognition of the extent of mental ill health problems we have seen in the workplace and beyond in recent years, and the measures that have been taken in response. Across the UK, local authority and NHS mental health services are falling victim to budget cuts, and people are losing vital support mechanisms which were helping them stay in or get back into work. On top of this, the stress arising for many workers from the massive job cuts in the public sector, and the uncertainty hanging over those who remain, is not conducive to healthy workplaces.'
