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Last updated: 07 December 2009
People with mental health conditions can and do work. However, the proportion of people who are employed who have severe mental health conditions compared to other groups is unacceptably low, despite a high proportion of people saying that they would like to work.
Work, Recovery and Inclusion is a new government delivery strategy that sets out a series of actions that will help meet the aspirations of people in contact with secondary mental health services who want to work. It is deliberately challenging and aspirational and aims to bring about significant changes in outcomes.
The strategy looks to a future where people who are in contact with secondary mental health services are helped to get jobs, where they are equally valued for their contributions to the workplace, and where having a mental health condition is not seen as a barrier to work.
The case for action is strong, and positive changes are likely to benefit both the individual, as well as society more broadly. For the individual, good work is beneficial for a person's well-being. For the wider society, helping more people to return to work will help reduce the costs of managing mental health conditions to the economy.
Work, Recovery and Inclusion responds and builds on the recommendations from the independent review undertaken by Rachel Perkins Realising ambitions: better employment support for people with mental health conditions. It incorporates a key part of the cross-Government response to the review. Work, Recovery and Inclusion also forms part of the Social Exclusion Task Force's latest work on the Socially Excluded Adults Public Service Agreement (PSA 16) which aims to support vulnerable adults in a home and a job. The report is the culmination of its work with three other Government departments – Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department of Health and the Department of Work and Pensions.
Summary of Work, Recovery and Inclusion:
Work, Recovery and Inclusion report [PDF 1.5MB, 72 pages]
News release on the launch of Work, Recovery and Inclusion
Work, Recovery and Inclusion was published on 7 December 2009, alongside other reports on mental health which collectively set out the Government's new approach on mental health.
News release on the new government vision on mental health [External website]
New Horizons is the Department of Health's new framework to enable England's strategic health authorities to deliver their regional plans for improving mental health and mental health services.
More information on New Horizons [External website]
Working our way to better mental health: a framework for action is the Government's first ever cross-government national mental health and employment strategy. It will help to ensure that no one misses out on the benefits that good work can bring. It sets out the Government's overarching ambitions for mental health and employment, covering both mild mental health problems as well as the group targeted by Work, Recovery and Inclusion.
More information on Working Our Way to Better Mental Health [External website]
Realising Ambitions: Better employment support for people with a mental health condition independent review led by Rachel Perkins. It examines how we can strengthen employment, health and wider state support to help people with mental conditions on out of work benefits. Work, Recovery and Inclusion forms part of the Government's response to this review.
More information on Realising Ambitions [External website]