In brief...: Ill staff support pays dividends

Aug 8 2008

Most people suffering from health problems can be helped back to work with the right kind of support, according to new research.

Long-term sickness and the number of workers on long-term incapacity benefits could be cut by up to 60 per cent if measures such as early intervention were adopted, said the report by York University's Social Policy Research Unit.

The study found that most people with mental health problems who talked about their condition at work found that colleagues were supportive. Employers were also said to be keen to learn more about mental health issues and wanted to work closely with GPs.