A service that has helped dozens of people in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent with employment support as part of their mental health recovery is expanding its offer to even more individuals.
Step On offers Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services to those of a working age across the county who are experiencing severe mental illness or have complex mental health needs. IPS is evidence-based employment support that helps people with severe mental health conditions, addictions, or other disabilities find and keep competitive paid jobs.
Previously open only to people accessing specialist or hospital-based mental health services, known as secondary care, the new Step On IPS Primary Care service is now seeing Employment Specialists work alongside Mental Health Practitioners based in local GP practices.
This means the service is able to provide personalised, practical, and recovery-focused employment support to more people, in particular those who have previously been supported by secondary care services and are now receiving help at primary care level via a Mental Health Practitioner.
Step On is delivered in partnership between Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and North Staffordshire Combined Health NHS Trust.
The team offers support to people in whichever way feels most meaningful to them, whether through entering work, returning after a break, disclosing their mental health to employers, or taking those initial steps to looking to gain paid employment.
Alongside primary care, the service is also strengthening its established links with local job centres, food banks and family hubs.
Beth Holmes, Step On Primary Care Supervisor said: “The team have worked really hard to integrate themselves into primary care practices and the local community in reaching out to individuals to promote the caring and compassionate work they do in being a holistic part of a person’s mental health recovery.
“We’re already enjoying success in supporting our clients into paid employment and continue to support them and their employers in their journey to sustainable employment.”
