Mental health's multi-million pound cost to county

One in four people in the county are likely to experience mental health problems, which also have a related cost on employers.

The information has come from a recruitment agency that is specialising in employing people with mental health problems.

Paritas, an agency backed by West Sussex County Council, has published new research into the cost of mental health on the West Sussex economy, welfare provision and primary health care.

Paritas is supported by the Sussex partnership NHS Foundation Trust and produced the research to mark World Mental Health Day 2009.

The research has reckoned the overall cost across West Sussex in relation to mental health and its impact on employment, welfare provision and primary care could be as high 500 million.

Following on from national research by the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, Worthing- based Paritas has detailed the impact on West Sussex and says it is huge.

It says that in relation to our businesses alone the cost is likely to be nearly 400 million.

During a time of recession there is a very real need to enable employers to keep their existing staff well, in work, and performing as the financial costs of mental health within employment will have an even greater impact when running on tighter staffing resources.

And that's just the impact on business. Paritas has found that the cost of welfare provision in relation to mental health across West Sussex could be as high as 80 million.

In addition, the financial price of GP appointments for mental health to West Sussex Primary Care trust is likely to be over 25 million a year.

David Cain, who conducted the research for Paritas, said: "The financial impact of mental ill health is felt by all of us. In a time of recession the need to look after the mental health of employees is greater than ever. It is often only by realising the financial and business costs that we can see the true impact and start to address the human costs."

The issues were raised by campaigners from the mental health charity Rethink at the Conservative Party conference this week.

Their message was that mental health receives only a fraction of the funding awarded to other health conditions such as cancer, even though one in four people will experience mental health problems at some point in their lives.

Paul Corry, Rethink's director of public affairs, said: "For too long, mental health, like Cinderella, has been left in rags and tatters. It is time for a fairy godmother to wave a magic wand and invest in mental health so that it too can go to the ball."