Why Mental Health Matters

Mental Health is a business asset.

• It affects all daily activity: performance,  productivity, behaviour, conduct, resilience, communications, relationships, innovation, creativity etc.

• It makes a difference to growth, success and business wealth.

• It is, therefore, a genuine ‘People’ risk factor to business.

• Risk management should include mental health in their practices.

• Minimise risk, maximise asset.
  

Here's some facts and figures:

• Due to the coronavirus pandemic, workplaces and working practices have changed dramatically. There are many changes and choices for everyone to navigate.

• The impact on personal lives too continues for many. Poor mental health remains high, so too isolation and loneliness

• We may never know the true financial and emotional impact of the crisis.

• Now the ‘cost of living crisis’ is also affecting people’s mental health.

  In the UK, poor mental health costs:

• Employers: up to £56 billion p.a.* (over half coming from ‘presenteeism’ – individuals at work but not fully functioning) with additional costs from sickness absence and staff turnover. [Deloitte April 2022 report

• That’s a 25% increase on 2019’s figure £45 billion p.a.

• UK economy at least £117.9 billion annually [Mental Health Foundation and the London School of Economics 2022 reports]

• That’s equivalent to c. 5 per cent of the UK’s GDP and approx 80 % of NHS’s total 2019/20 budget of £150.4 billion

• Almost ¾ of the cost (72%) from lost productivity of people living with mental health conditions and costs incurred by unpaid informal carers who take on caring and support responsibilities.

• 70 million work days lost each year due to poor mental health in the UK, costing employers approximately £2.4 billion per year.

• 450 million people affected by mental health issues worldwide.

• Every 40 seconds someone in the world dies from suicide.

• Suicide is the leading cause of death for men and women in the UK. Approx 6000 deaths per year; that’s one death approx. every 2 hours.

• 1 in 4 British adults diagnosed with mental ill health each year.

• 1 in 10 children aged 5 to 16 have clinically diagnosed mental dis-order.

• Children’s happiness continues to decline according to The Good Childhood Report 2022. Currently, at least 10 million children and adults have mental health and well-being issues. 75% of young people experiencing poor mental health aren’t receiving treatment. Teenage suicides rising – estimates c. 65%. 17-22 year females most at risk group

• Poor mental health represent the largest single cause of disability in the UK.

• Mental health is an important risk factor/often present in other diseases.

• Most people (circa 70%) with mental health problems can get better.

• Mental health is becoming recognised as a workplace asset.

• Thriving at Work, The Stevenson / Farmer October 2017 review of mental health and employers, in response to the UK Government’s request for an independent review of how employers can better support the mental health.