Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of mental health and wellbeing support available in the workplace; and what steps her Department is taking to encourage businesses to improve workplace mental health support.

The Government has taken steps to encourage businesses to improve workplace mental health. For example, the Disability Confident scheme provides employers with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to understand health and disability issues, including mental health, in the workplace. As of 31 December 2021, Disability Confident employers reported over 11m paid employees working in their businesses.

To support mental health and well-being, the Access to Work Mental Health Support Service is available for those who need mental health support whilst in employment. The support can be accessed remotely, and is delivered by external partners, Remploy Employment Services and Able Futures, who offer individualised workplace support from experienced mental health practitioners. The support and advice is available for up to nine months and can offer coping strategies, a step-by-step support plan, advice on adjustments, and support for employers to enable them to fully understand the person’s condition.

In addition, in March 2021, the Government published the COVID-19 Mental Health and Wellbeing Recovery Action Plan. This acknowledged the important role that employers play in creating workplaces in which employees with health conditions, including mental illnesses, can stay and thrive in work. We are supporting employers in this, particularly with our commitment to develop a new digital service, designed directly with small and medium-sized businesses to provide employers with better-tailored and integrated information about health and disability at work. An early version of the service is currently in private live-testing.