Include all care workers in NHS’ fast-track mental health service, Labour says

Labour has set out plans for a shake-up of mental health support to ensure that 3.1 million NHS and care workers who have been under intense pressure during the coronavirus crisis get access to the same fast-tracked help and advice.

Rosena Allin-Khan, the shadow mental health minister, said the current system was “inadequate” because it did not cover private sector staff doing NHS and social care work.

And she said she wanted reform to end long waiting lists and significant regional variations in services which see some nurses waiting up to a year for help.

A Care for Carers package to cover all NHS and social care staff in England - including outsourced porters, cleaners and support staff - would provide a 24-hour national hotline; follow-up support, including specialist assessments and referrals; treatments, including specialised support for post-traumatic stress disorder; and links to external services, such as alcohol and addiction services

Large numbers of health and care workers have reported stress and anxiety during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But Dr Allin-Khan said that, while the current Covid-19 support hotline offered emotional support and signposting, it did not lead on to psychological therapies.

And even before the outbreak, almost five million working days were being lost to mental health problems in 2019 and stress was estimated to account for more than 30 per cent of NHS staff absence, at a cost of up to £400m a year.

The British Medical Association says 41 per cent of doctors suffer with depression, anxiety, stress and other mental health conditions relating to their work; and more than half of carers say they are emotionally exhausted, according to research by the IPPR thinktank.

Dr Allin-Khan said: “Even before the pandemic hit, the case for investing in this kind of support was clear. Coronavirus has exacerbated the existing crisis in mental health.

“Many NHS and social care staff have been scared of going to work, and they have lost patients and colleagues. It has been heartbreaking to witness the toll this virus has taken on staff mental health.

“Current support is not good enough, and without a tailored, fast-tracked service for staff who have faced death and despair every day for over three months, our frontline heroes will continue to be failed.

“We need to care for our carers. It is time for the government to give back to those who have sacrificed so much to keep our loved ones safe. Unless our staff are protected, they cannot continue their vital work of keeping us all safe.”

Labour said its scheme could be delivered at a cost of about £78m a year - or £25 for each of the 3.1 million workers covered.

The national secretary of the GMB union, Rehana Azam, said: “Our precious resource throughout the pandemic has been our key workers. We have heard every day from frontline workers telling us that they are at breaking point. The stress they have been under over the last few months has been unprecedented.

“GMB is pleased that Labour have recognised the mental health crisis our workers face and hope the government recognise this and look seriously at these proposals.

“Our NHS and social care workforce are the very people who have kept us safe during this pandemic. We owe it to them to make sure they get the support they need.”