THE number of people with mental health problems receiving employment advice to help them return to work has risen sharply, NHS data suggests.

New figures from NHS England show that 67,794 people accessed employment advice through the NHS talking therapies programme last year, compared with 41,907 the year before — a rise of 62 per cent.

Overall, 1.8 million referrals were made to NHS talking therapies, with more than 1.2 million people starting treatment.

The programme supports people with conditions such as anxiety and depression and links them with an employment adviser if they need help finding or keeping work.

Advisers help with job searches, CV writing, interview preparation, looking at reasonable adjustments in the workplace and setting goals.

The new statistics come after figures published late last year showed that people’s pay and job prospects improved if they could access talking therapy.

But mental health charities have said that more than two million people are on waiting lists for NHS mental health services and too many people cannot get the support they need.

Mind associate director of policy Minesh Patel said it was positive to see an increase in people starting talking therapies, but he added that there was “limited evidence” of the NHS programme’s effectiveness for those who have been out of work for long periods.

“Programmes like this cannot replace individual placement and support, which helps those people with more serious mental health problems who want to move towards employment,” Mr Patel said.

“It’s also important to remember that greater mental health support is needed for everyone, not just those able to work.

“With two million people on NHS waiting lists, it’s clear that much more needs to be done to get people the help they need, when they need it.”