RCN welcomes new credit crunch stress plans

Published: 10 March 2009

The Royal College of Nursing has welcomed the announcement of more Government help for people who are affected by the economic downturn, including the introduction of more talking therapies and a new network of employment support workers. The RCN has urged the Government to act quickly to ensure that the measures have the maximum impact for those affected by economic challenges.

The comments came as the Government announced an investment of £13 million to fund measures to help unemployed people who are experiencing depression or anxiety to get back to work.

RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, Dr Peter Carter said that specialist nurses made a real difference, and should be supported to help as many people as possible. He added:

“The Government is doing the right thing in looking ahead to the consequences of the economic downturn, and preparing a full package of measures to help health and social services to deal with them. In particular, we know that in many cases losing your job can be the tipping point which leads to isolation, family breakdown and mental health problems”.

The RCN is looking forward to working with the Government to help those affected by the economic downturn and Dr Carter commented:

“We would now call on ministers to make sure that these measures can make an impact quickly, so that support reaches individuals and families before problems are allowed to escalate. This is particularly important in areas which are already blighted by health inequalities, where any further job losses would be most keenly felt”.

The Department of Health has estimated that approximately 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.