Mental Health Employment Advisors co-located in Job Centres

Poor mental health and wellbeing continues to be a considerable disease burden worldwide (1), which represents a significant cost to society and healthcare systems. Improving population mental health and wellbeing is a public health priority across England because it costs society over £105 billion a year (pre the COVID-19 pandemic) (2). The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted local communities and exacerbated symptoms among those with an existing mental health condition, as well as increasing the number of people with self-reported depression (4). The pandemic has intensified existing mental health inequalities (5) and created socio-economic uncertainty and insecurity (6), which will be made worse by the rise in cost of living. There is a long history of unemployment having an adverse impact on health with a reduction in psychological wellbeing and greater incidence of anxiety, depression, poor mental health and risk of suicide (10-12). Whilst poor mental health and wellbeing can be a predictor for unemployment (13), spells of unemployment have been found to predict reduced quality of life and life satisfaction after the age of 50 (14). There is a need for funders and mental health systems to support policies and practices that address long-term unemployment and its impact on mental health and wellbeing (11). The NHS Kernow adult mental health strategy for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly supports the adoption of the prevention concordat for better mental health. Improving population wellbeing through targeting the wider determinants of health such as employment and health inequalities is a core component of the strategy. Since 2018, The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) grant funded Mental Health Employment Advisors (MHEA) being co-located in eleven job centres across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to support individuals with their mental health and wellbeing and help them back into employment. With additional funding from Public Health, this service comes to an end on the 30th September 2022. This service has been delivered by Pentreath, a charity formed in 1991 to provide support and guidance to people experiencing and recovering from mental ill health across Cornwall (24). The intervention targets adults aged 16+ years who accessed a job centre and self-declared that their mental health acted as a barrier to accessing appropriate employment. The intervention includes supporting people over a 2-4 month period, which includes an initial assessment to identify their mental health needs, ability to work and then identify a personalised action plan to help them back into employment and improve their mental health and wellbeing. With the service coming to an end in September 2022, there is a need to address the ongoing economic pressures and rising living costs on society. This new contract specification covers the commissioning of the MHEA project co-located in eleven job centres across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, as well as the Devonport

Additional information: The full response can be found in the main tender documents available through Supplying The SouthWest