A third of care professionals consider quitting over lack of mental health support

A third of care home professional have considered quitting their jobs due to a lack of mental health support, a survey has found.

In the survey by leading independent job site, CV-Library, more than four in five care professionals (81%) agreed that enough was being done to support mental health at work.

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, said: “It’s concerning to learn that care professionals aren’t feeling supported by their employers when it comes to their mental health and it’s clear more needs to be done to tackle this. It’s a sad reality that mental health problems can affect all areas of life. But if you’re struggling to cope at work, it’s important that you don’t suffer in silence.”

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Almost half (48%) of the 1,100 UK workers consulted said aspects of the role made them feel anxious or depressed.

Almost one third (31%) of respondents said employers needed to do more to promote a healthy work-life balance. One in five (21%) said employees should have access to counselling services, with 17% saying workers should have access to internal counselling services.

Other measures suggested for employers included creating an environment where mental health is not stigmatised (14%) and cultivating an environment where people can talk more openly about the issue (12%).

The vast majority (86%) said that employers should offer mental health days for staff with 91% saying they would be more likely to work for a company that did.

A further 85% said employers should be trained to understand mental health issues and how to offer support.

Almost nine in ten (88%) said they would be worried about sharing mental health issues with their employer and 89% said they would feel guilty about taking time off for mental health problems.