A £27m funding boost will create 480 new mental health social workers over the next three years, the Government has confirmed.
The funding has been awarded to mental health charity Think Ahead and will support 10,000 people with serious mental illness.
It will be used by the charity to recruit and train a new wave of workers who will provide psychological and practical support to help people with serious mental illness, such as severe depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
The mental health workers will also be trained to provide support on issues such as relationships, housing, and employment, which can have a huge bearing on mental wellbeing.
Minister for mental health and suicide prevention, Nadine Dorries said: ‘The NHS, local services and charities have done an excellent job in being there to support those who have needed help throughout the pandemic, but it is vital that we ensure our services are fit to meet ongoing demand.
’By expanding the mental health workforce this new funding will boost support for the most vulnerable at a time when they need it most.’
The Think Ahead programme a paid route into frontline mental health services and has recruited over 500 mental health social workers since 2016.
