In 2021, a record 4.3 million referrals were made to the NHS for mental health issues, and 1.2 million people remained on waiting lists as of August this year. Figures published by the Health and Safety Executive found that last year saw over 800,000 cases of workplace stress, depression and anxiety in the UK, with over half of these cases being exacerbated by the pandemic. With overloaded EAPs battling to meet demand, workplaces are increasingly turning to specialist counselling support services to assist.
Lou Campbell, employee counsellor, wellbeing coach and programmes director of one such specialist service, Wellbeing Partners, said: ‘In the past 18 months, the volume of HR professionals seeking an alternative to their overstretched employee assistance providers has increased at an astonishing level. Stories of employees being palmed off by their EAP onto an already overwhelmed NHS are something that we hear every day and fatigued HR teams are being called upon to support distraught employees who have nowhere to turn’.
She added: ‘High quality specialist counselling support services ensure that all staff can be guided through all manner of workplace challenges, and properly supported with any mental health issues, by a known, trusted and experienced professional, in a guaranteed time frame’.
As World Mental Health Day approaches on 10 October, employers are encouraged to reiterate their dedication to the mental health of their staff. In the legal sphere, mental health charity LawCare is asking the legal community to mark World Mental Health Day by telling ten friends or colleagues about their support service as part of its Tell Ten campaign.
Elizabeth Rimmer, chief executive of LawCare, said: ‘LawCare’s biggest challenge has always been awareness—we want as many people in the legal community as possible to know about the service we provide so when they have a difficult time or just a bad day at work they know where they can find help.
‘We’d like to ask for the community’s help this World Mental Health Day to tell ten friends or colleagues in the industry about us—tag ten people on social media in a post about LawCare or just send an email or text. With your help we can make sure we are there for everyone working in the law when they need us’.
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