1. Employability and Mental Health
Michael Perera – Projects Manager , Mental Health
Lynn Holmes ,Employment Advisor, Job Centre Plus/NHS Highland
Fiona Maclachlan, Occupational Therapist, Inverness CMHT

4. Employability and Mental Health
The IPS Model in Highland
Review of local pilot in partnership with Department of Work and Pensions
Suggested way forward

5. 1 in 6 people with a serious mental health condition have a job
1 in 6 people with a serious mental health condition have a job. 8 in 10 want 1.

6. Why do people with mental health conditions struggle to be in employment?

7. A culture of low expectations Failure to do what we know works
3 Factors
Fear
A culture of low expectations
Failure to do what we know works

8. What is IPS? Competitive employment is the primary goal
No eligibility criteria
Job search based on individual preferences
Job search rapid, within one month
Employment specialists co-located with clinical team
Support time-unlimited and individualised
Benefits advice supports transition to work
Job development is undertaken with local employers

9. So, how do you successfully help people with mental health problems into work?
Individual Placement Support
12 month pilot in NHS Highland
Partnership with DWP – Job Centre Plus
Employment Advisor located within mental health services 3 days per week
Worked along side Community Mental health team and Rehabilitation Services
Ambitious for clients who wanted to work

10. What happened? 26 clients referred
Initial confusion from referrers over role of service (e.g. 2 clients already in work)
4 realised during process that they were not quite ready for work
4 decided at initial interview IPS was not right approach for them
15 received support
10 now in work
3 in volunteering
2 in college

11. Lessons
For IPS to work well it must be undertaken to a level of high fidelity
Not all 8 principles are as easy to implement
Those achieved more easily:
Personalised i.e. based on user preference
Rapid action plan, finance/benefits advice
Achieves open employment
Less often fully in evidence:
Fully integrated with health care, no exclusion criteria
Employer engagement  job development
Planned follow-on support

12. Success?
We believe so. The success rate of clients referred gaining employment mirrors that in other areas where IPS is the adopted approach (66%)
This is double the success rate of traditional approaches.
It is intensive but has proven to be worth it

13. Mental Health Strategy
Evidence Based supported Employment
Adherence to 7/8 Core Principals
“If IPS is not delivered to a proven model, effectiveness will be reduced”
Work Foundation Centre for Mental Heath

14. What next?
Employment Specialist is continuing in NHSH Rehabilitation Service part time in a joint funded position
We recommend IPS be the model of choice
We recommend that the totality of resource utilised by all agencies to support employability be identified across The Highland Council area
A mapping of who does what be undertaken to identify duplications/ overlap
Draft an employability pathway understandable to all
Adjust working practices/ service level agreements/ to redesign existing resources focusing on implementing IPS

15. Questions?