Last year, more than 450,000 people had to stop working long-term due to mental health issues

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Some 86,000 people suffered from long-term mental illness in the North West - the highest number in all of England - followed by London and the West Midlands.

The age group with the highest number of people who were long-term ill due to mental illness was 50 to 64 years old (

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Last year, more than 450,000 people were on long-term sick leave due to mental illness, according to an analysis. Some 86,000 people suffered from long-term mental illness in the North West - the highest number in England. This is followed by London with 57,000 and the West Midlands with 53,000, according to ONS figures obtained by Labor.

The age group with the most long-term sickness due to mental illness was 50-64 with 174,000, followed by 35-49 with 125,000 and 25-34 with 92,000, according to party analysis. The data included those who were economically inactive due to long-term illness and reported depression, nerve problems and anxiety, as well as mental illness, phobias, panic or other nervous disorders.

In a study published in July, the OBR found that “the greatest increase in inactivity due to long-term illness was in people with a mental health condition and other unspecified conditions. ". Meanwhile, a study from the London School of Economics suggests that mental illness costs the UK economy £118 billion every year.

Shadow cabinet minister for mental health, Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, said: “Patients are left to languish on long waiting lists for mental health treatment, while their condition risks to deteriorate.

“The government should focus on reducing these waiting lists and improving patient care. Instead, they are delaying meaningful action, abandoning their 10-year mental health plan and delaying mental health law reform.

“The next Labor government will hire 8,500 more mental health staff to reduce waiting lists, funded by ending tax breaks for private schools and closing risk capital loopholes. »

A government spokesperson said: “We are moving further and faster to transform our country's mental health services. An additional £2.3bn is being invested each year until 2024 to expand services, and mental health staff continue to grow to help reduce waiting lists – one of this government's top five priorities . In December 2022, we saw almost 9,000 more mental health workers working than the previous year.

“An additional £2 billion is being used to help people with health conditions or disabilities find jobs, grow the economy and keep more people – including young people – in work. NHS Talking Therapy Services employment counselors also combine psychological treatment and employment support for people with mental health issues. »

England has the longest waiting lists in NHS history, with a record 7.6 million people waiting for treatment. According to shocking new data, 121,000 people died while on the NHS waiting list last year.

Figures released under freedom of information laws reveal that the number of deaths while awaiting treatment in hospital is even higher than at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. They suggest that the number of patients dying on the waiting list is twice as high as before the pandemic. The NHS constitution says patients should not wait more than 18 weeks for treatment, but today two in five patients...