The Mental Health Premium

The Mental Health Premium - full report [ 1.6 mb]

The Mental Health Premium - research methods [ 0.52 mb]

Mental health problems are the most common health issue among Citizens Advice clients, impacting 89,410 clients last year. Previous research found people with mental health problems are more likely to struggle with essential services, and support offered by providers is inadequate.

The Mental Health Premium [ 1.6 mb] shows that where poor mental health reduces someone’s ability to carry out daily activities, they can incur costs of £1,100 - £1,550 each year as a result of inaccessible services, poor regulatory protections and inadequate support.

Our research finds that:

• People who say that their mental health problem affects their day to day activities “a little” pay £1,100 a year in extra costs.

• People who say that their mental health problem affects their day to day activities “a lot” pay £1,550 a year in extra costs.

• Choosing services costs £360 - £540 a year

• Paying for services costs £280 - £500 a year

• Dealing with problems costs £460 - £510 a year

Recommendations

• Ofgem, Ofcom, Ofwat and the FCA should jointly identify a set of minimum standards of support which all providers should offer for people with mental health problems.

• Regulators should ensure they have effective systems for monitoring provider performance in this area, backed by swift action where providers are not adequately supporting vulnerable consumers (including those with mental health problems).