More than 1 in 10 mental health jobs in the NHS are currently vacant despite a sharp rise in people seeking help

More than 1 in 10 mental health jobs in the NHS are currently vacant despite a sharp rise in people seeking help 

• An additional 450,000 people a month are contacting mental health services in 2023 compared to 2020
• Antidepressant prescriptions rise by millions in just a few years

28^th June, London - New analysis of the latest NHS statistics by Clerkenwell Health show that well over 1 in 10 mental health professional jobs in the NHS are currently unfilled. There is also significant regional disparity and the North West and Midlands are faring worse, with 17.5% and 14.9% respectively of mental health jobs vacant. This compares to an overall NHS medical vacancy rate of 5.8%.

The figures come alongside a sharp increase in the number of people seeking contact with NHS mental health services every month - rising consistently from 1.3 million people a month in June 2020 to 1.75 million people a month by March 2023. Meanwhile an extra 3,000 people every month are also occupying a bed in a mental health hospital, when compared to January 2021.

The new analysis comes from Clerkenwell Health, the first commercial organisation in Europe to design and deliver clinical trials for a range of drug developers to find cutting-edge treatments for complex mental health conditions. They are working with drug manufacturers to explore innovative treatments for conditions with which the NHS is struggling to cope including treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, PTSD and alcohol use disorder, as well as conditions affecting the central nervous system. 

The latest NHS data also shows a sharp rise in the number of antidepressants prescribed. Between October to December 2022 (the latest figures available), 22 million antidepressants were prescribed to an estimated 6.6 million identified patients. This compares to 15 million prescriptions in Q1 of 2015 and 19.6 million in October to December 2020.

Clerkenwell Health is developing trials to test the use of psychedelics such as psilocybin to treat a range of mental health conditions and are actively recruiting participants.

Tom McDonald, Chief Executive Officer at Clerkenwell Health, said:

“With a sharp rise in people contacting mental health services and antidepressant prescriptions rocketing in just a few short years - all amidst a major mental staff shortage - it’s clear the need for innovative mental health treatments has never been more acute. 

“There is no silver bullet, but a growing body of research suggests that psychedelic drugs could be ground-breaking for the treatment of complex mental health conditions. The Government must help accelerate the number of clinical trials being delivered in the UK to help new treatments reach patients more quickly and stem this growing problem.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

• Mental Health Services Monthly Statistics Dashboard: Microsoft Power BI (pages 5 and 6)
• NHS Vacancy Statistics England, April 2015 - March 2023, Experimental Statistics - NDRS (digital.nhs.uk)

• Mental Health | NIHR
• Medicines Used in Mental Health (nhsbsa-opendata.s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com)

About Clerkenwell Health

Clerkenwell Health is a specialist clinical research organisation, focused on supporting clients with the design and delivery of psychedelic-assisted therapy trials. Europe’s first commercial organisation dedicated to running psychedelics clinical trials for a range of drug developers, they are accelerating trial delivery and tackling conditions for complex mental health conditions including PTSD, alcohol use disorder, treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, as well as conditions affecting the central nervous system.

Founded in 2021, the company has expertise in psychedelics-assisted therapy and the regulatory landscape for drug manufacturers. They raised £2.5m in seed funding and have been backed by leading investors to scale up and deliver a suite of new trials in 2023 for companies based in the UK and North America.

The team brings together decades of international regulatory affairs, clinical development strategy, clinical operations, and market access expertise. They support clients by identifying suitable indications, engaging regulators, designing clinically sound and scientifically robust study protocols and delivering trials through their own facilities and those of their wide partnership network.

More information about Clerkenwell Health can be found on their website