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Alan Johnson and James Purnell announce further action to target credit crunch stress

A package of measures to help unemployed people who are experiencing depression or anxiety to get back to work were announced today by Health Secretary Alan Johnson and Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell, including greater provision of talking therapies and a new network of employment support workers.

Speeding up the roll out of talking therapies will provide better access to the services. A greater number of people who are on long-term sick leave or unable to seek employment due to depression will be helped to recover so that they are ready to go back to work.

Around six million adults in the UK have depression or anxiety and many of these remain on incapacity benefits as they are unable to seek work. In past recessions, we have seen the number of out-of-work people on inactive benefits rise, so this is one element of action being taken to prevent this happening again.

The new measures to enable the NHS to support people back to work include the development of complementary services to increase the availability of debt advice and family counselling, highlighting the vitally important role can played by the public services in supporting people through the economic downturn.

Mr Johnson today announced that the government is investing an extra £13 million. This will fund:

• A faster roll out of talking therapy services around the country throughout 2009 with services beginning to be available in every area by 2010
• Employment support workers linked to every talking therapy service, providing job support for people with common mental health problems and help people back to work
• Health advisers on a dedicated NHS Direct phone line being trained to spot people who might be experiencing depression because of economic problems and refer them to help
• Better online advice and information about the availability of services near to people's homes through NHS Choices.

At the same time, PCTS will be encouraged to use up to £80m of savings made by the NHS due to the temporary reduction in the rate of VAT to commission complementary services - including debt advice and family counselling - wherever there is local need.

The investment will also provide more training for staff in primary healthcare teams, helping them to recognise mental health problems that could be due in part to the economic downturn. The NHS is being encouraged to work with local partners to develop the public's skills in managing their mental wellbeing as a life skill.

There is not yet any indication that the economic downturn is having a negative impact on disadvantaged people in the labour market; in fact, the numbers of people on Incapacity Benefit are still falling. But the Government is determined to act to prevent people falling into long-term worklessness.

Talking therapy pilots Newham and Doncaster saw 5,000 extra people in 2007/8, with average waiting of only two weeks after a clinical decision to treat, down from an NHS average of around 14 months. More than half those treated by the Newham and Doncaster services achieved measurable recovery, in line with NICE evidence from clinical trials, and the number going to work rose by 10 per cent.

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