BPS calls for urgent government investment in NHS staff mental health support in response to shocking NHS Staff Survey results

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the funding cuts for NHS Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs, the British Psychological Society is warning that NHS staff face a postcode lottery of patchy mental health support, with services underfunded and in limbo.

New data obtained by the BPS shows 30 per cent of staff presenting to one NHS Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub last year were suicidal. 

The warning comes as the NHS Staff Survey results published today show small improvements in some areas, but continue to depict a burnt out and demoralised workforce, with implications for patient care.

• 42 per cent of staff said they have felt unwell as a result of work-related stress in the last 12 months.
• Nearly one third (30 per cent) of staff said they often or always feel burnt out because of their work.
• Only one third of staff (32 per cent) said there are enough staff at their organisation for them to do their job properly.
• Nearly one third (29 per cent) of staff said they often think about leaving.
• One third (33 per cent) of staff said they have seen errors, near misses or incidents in the last month that could have hurt staff and/or patients/service users.

The BPS is calling for the government to urgently fund mental health support for NHS and social care staff, as NHS Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs, which were set up in response to the pandemic to provide rapid help to traumatised staff, continue to close. 

With many staff presenting to the remaining hubs with significant and complex mental health issues, the BPS is highlighting that without dedicated services, staff will be added to lengthy waiting lists for mainstream mental health services. This could lead to staff taking more time off sick, or delaying their return to work, at a time when staff shortages and retention issues are rife.

The vast majority of funding for the 40 NHS Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs in England was cut in March 2023, with just £2.3m provided to hubs in July 2023, a fraction of the original £38.5million annual budget. One year on the picture for staff mental health and wellbeing services across England is bleak.**  

• Of the original 40 hubs, 18 hubs have closed since March 2023
• Four hubs are slated for closure at the end of March, and a further nine hubs are yet to have confirmation of funding and are under threat of closure
• Just nine hubs have confirmed some funding for the year ahead.*** 

Of those hubs that have remained open this year, the majority have offered a reduced service, and snapshots of evidence demonstrate the severity of the issues staff are presenting with. 

• One hub found 30 per cent of hub users presented with suicidal thoughts.
• In the first two months of 2024, one hub has seen its highest number of referrals to date, with 65 per cent presented with complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. 67% were managers, leaders and senior clinical practitioners.
• In another hub, of the 1,187 people registered for one-to-one support between April 23 - Dec 23, shockingly 78 per cent of hub users presented with moderate to severe depression.
• In one hub, 30 per cent of hub users identified themselves as being senior leaders. In a different hub, in Q4 of 2023-2024, almost 1 in 5 (19 per cent) of users were managers or leaders.

Evidence suggests the mental health support provided by staff mental health and wellbeing services can help support staff retention and could ultimately lead to a cost saving for the NHS by reducing the soaring costs on agency staff to plug staffing gaps.****

Analysis from one hub found that 95 per cent of those who were treated returned to work or did not take sickness absence; another hub found that 200 staff members returned to work from long term sickness absence after getting help from the hub.

Dr Roman Raczka, President-Elect of the British Psychological Society, said:

"While the NHS Staff Survey findings show small improvements in some areas, if we look at the big picture, far too many staff said they have felt unwell as a result of work-related stress, and thousands said they have felt burnt out. These aren't acceptable conditions for any workforce, and it shows how just how vital staff mental health and wellbeing services are.

"Staff at all levels, including senior management, are experiencing unacceptable levels of burnout and distress, presenting to hubs with significant and complex mental health issues that require intervention from experienced professionals. The hubs and equivalent services give all staff quick access to the right support, preventing them from being just another statistic on a waiting list. Instead of investing in these services, they are sadly being dismantled at the time they're needed the most. 

"Senior leaders have told me they want to provide their workforces with the best possible support. They recognise how dedicated mental health support can help staff remain in their jobs, return from long term sickness and, crucially, prevent future ill-health. However, with the majority of integrated care systems struggling to balance the books, the funding simply isn't there to provide these, sometimes lifesaving, services."

* The hubs' funding status has been gathered by the BPS and is correct to the best of the BPS's knowledge.

** One hub has secured recurring funding; however, this is reduced by more than half. One hub has one year's confirmed full funding for 2024-2025. Four hubs have one year's reduced funding for 2024-2025 for a smaller service. One hub has confirmed funding until the summer, and one hub has reduced funding until Christmas 2024.

*** 78 per cent of hub users scored 1,2,3 (several days, more than half days or nearly every day) on the measure of depression severity PHQ9.

**** BPS analysis of NHS staff sickness absence data shows 3,772,570 sickness days have been lost so far this year (April - October 2023), an eight per cent or 289,910 days increase on the same period in 2022. NHS Sickness Absence Rates - NHS Digital Anxiety/stress/depression/other psychiatric illnesses accounted for 3,482. 660 full time equivalent days lost between April – October 2022. Analysis by Laing Buisson has calculated the annual bill for hiring temporary NHS staff has passed £10 billion.