Living with a mental health condition can make work feel harder – whether you're trying to find a job, struggling to cope in the one you have, or off sick and worried about going back. The good news is that there's a lot of free support available across the UK.
This guide sets out your rights at work and the main services in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with links to each one.
Key insight
Many of these services are free and confidential, and some don't need a diagnosis or a GP referral. For example, Working Health Services Scotland says you don't need a diagnosis to get help (Healthy Working Lives, n.d.), and Access to Work's mental health support can be booked without a GP referral (Health 2 Employment, n.d.).
Know your rights first
In England, Scotland and Wales, a mental health condition can count as a disability under the Equality Act 2010 if it has a "substantial" and "long-term" effect on your daily life. Long-term means 12 months or more (GOV.UK, n.d.b). In Northern Ireland, the Disability Discrimination Act covers employment instead (nidirect, 2026c).
If you're covered, your employer must make reasonable adjustments – changes that stop you being unfairly disadvantaged at work. One official example is letting someone with social anxiety have their own desk instead of hot-desking (GOV.UK, n.d.d). Acas gives other examples for mental health, including flexible hours, more frequent breaks, a quieter workspace, agreeing how you prefer to be contacted, and an extended phased return after sickness (Acas, 2025).
Even if your condition doesn't count as a disability, Acas says employers should still offer support and look at whether adjustments could help (Acas, 2025).
Where to start: the main services, by whether you're in work or looking for work.
Help to stay in work
If you're in work (or about to start) and your mental health is affecting your job, these services can help.
| Service | Where | What you get | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access to Work | England, Scotland, Wales | A grant towards practical support, such as a job coach, or travel costs if you can't use public transport. It doesn't affect other benefits and you don't pay it back (GOV.UK, n.d.a). | Apply online or call 0800 121 7479 (GOV.UK, n.d.a) |
| Access to Work Mental Health Support Service | England, Scotland, Wales | A tailored plan and one-to-one sessions with a mental health professional (GOV.UK, n.d.a), for up to nine months (Health 2 Employment, n.d.). | Apply to Able Futures or Maximus – only one, and only once (GOV.UK, n.d.a) |
| Access to Work (NI) | Northern Ireland | Help with practical problems caused by a disability, at work or getting there (nidirect, 2026a). | Email the Department for Communities or ask a work coach (nidirect, 2026a) |
| Workable (NI) | Northern Ireland | One-to-one help from an employment support officer, plus disability awareness training for your employer (nidirect, 2026d). | Contact one of the three providers listed on nidirect (nidirect, 2026d) |
| Condition Management Programme | Northern Ireland | Up to 12 weeks of support from health professionals, including help with stress, anxiety, low mood and depression (nidirect, 2026b). | Ask a work coach or your local HSC Trust CMP team (nidirect, 2026b) |
| Working Health Services Scotland | Scotland | A case manager and quick access to counselling, physiotherapy or occupational therapy, if you're self-employed or work for an organisation with under 250 staff (Healthy Working Lives, n.d.). | Refer yourself, or ask your employer or GP (Healthy Working Lives, n.d.) |
| In-Work Support Service | Wales | Free therapy, including counselling and stress management, if you work for a small or medium-sized organisation or are self-employed (Welsh Government, 2023). | In North Wales, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, refer yourself to RCS Wales (SA1 Medical Centre, n.d.). Elsewhere, ask your GP surgery |
| NHS Talking Therapies employment advisers | England | Free, confidential help with workplace stress, returning to work and talking to your employer (NHS England, 2025). | Ask your NHS Talking Therapies service |
In Great Britain, you can also ask the Disability Employment Adviser at your local Jobcentre Plus for advice on reasonable adjustments (GOV.UK, n.d.d).
Help to get into work
If you're out of work, or have been off sick for a long time, these services focus on finding a job that suits you.
| Service | Where | What you get | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connect to Work | England, Wales | Voluntary, personalised support to find work and stay in it, led by local councils (Department for Work and Pensions, 2024). Around 25,000 people were getting support by mid-2026 (Department for Work and Pensions, 2026). | Search your council's website for Connect to Work |
| Individual Placement and Support (IPS) | England | Employment support built into NHS community mental health services for people with severe mental illness (NHS England, n.d.). In research, 30–40% of people who had IPS were in work, compared with 10–12% of people who didn't (NHS England, 2019). | Ask your NHS mental health team |
| No One Left Behind | Scotland | An employability key worker, delivered by your local council (Citizens Advice Scotland, n.d.), who works with you on a personal plan (Employability in Scotland, n.d.). Specialist support for people with long-term health conditions was funded across Scotland in 2025/26 (Scottish Government, 2026). | Find your council's contacts on the Employability in Scotland website |
| Communities for Work Plus | Wales | A mentor, help with CVs and confidence, and training (Working Wales, n.d.). | Speak to a Working Wales adviser (Working Wales, n.d.) |
| Jobcentre Plus work coach | England, Scotland, Wales | Help to find work, and referral to a specialist work psychologist if appropriate (GOV.UK, n.d.c). | Contact your local Jobcentre |
| Condition Management Programme | Northern Ireland | Also open to people on benefits who are struggling to find work because of their health (nidirect, 2026b). | Ask at your Jobs and Benefits office (nidirect, 2026b) |
Tip: look for the Disability Confident symbol
Employers showing the Disability Confident symbol on job adverts are committed to employing disabled people, and you'll be guaranteed an interview if you meet the basic conditions for the job (GOV.UK, n.d.c).
Talking to your employer
You don't have to tell your employer about your mental health, but they can't make adjustments if they don't know (nidirect, 2026c). Acas suggests thinking beforehand about which tasks or times of day feel harder, what helps, and asking a friend or family member what they notice (Acas, 2025).
For advice on your employment rights, contact Acas in Great Britain or the Labour Relations Agency in Northern Ireland (nidirect, 2026a).
If you're struggling right now
Talk to your GP about how you're feeling. If you need to talk to someone now, Samaritans is free to call on 116 123, day or night (Samaritans, n.d.).
The bottom line
A mental health condition doesn't have to mean giving up work or giving up on finding it. Start with one step: talk to your employer, your GP or a work coach, or contact one of the services above directly.
References
Acas (2025) Mental health adjustments – reasonable adjustments at work. Available at: https://www.acas.org.uk/reasonable-adjustments/mental-health-adjustments (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
Citizens Advice Scotland (n.d.) Help with employability in Scotland. Available at: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/work/finding-work/fair-start-scotland (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
Department for Work and Pensions (2024) Connect to Work. GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/connect-to-work (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
Department for Work and Pensions (2026) Connect to Work delivers for thousands more as programme expands. GOV.UK, 10 September. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/connect-to-work-delivers-for-thousands-more-as-programme-expands (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
Employability in Scotland (n.d.) No One Left Behind. Available at: https://www.employabilityinscotland.com/employability-services/no-one-left-behind/ (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
GOV.UK (n.d.a) Access to Work: get support if you have a disability or health condition. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
GOV.UK (n.d.b) Definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/definition-of-disability-under-equality-act-2010 (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
GOV.UK (n.d.c) Looking for work if you're disabled. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/looking-for-work-if-disabled (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
GOV.UK (n.d.d) Reasonable adjustments for workers with disabilities or health conditions. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments-for-disabled-workers (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
Health 2 Employment (n.d.) Access to Work (Mental Health) – book an appointment. Available at: https://www.health2employment.com/book-an-appointment (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
Healthy Working Lives (n.d.) Working Health Services Scotland. Available at: https://healthyworkinglives.scot/workplace-guidance/ill-health-and-absence/working-health-services-scotland (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
NHS England (n.d.) Individual placement and support for severe mental illness. Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/individual-placement-and-support-for-severe-mental-illness/ (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
NHS England (2019) Thousands more set to get help as NHS rolls out mental health job coaches. Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2019/04/thousands-more-set-to-get-help-as-nhs-rolls-out-mental-health-job-coaches/ (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
NHS England (2025) NHS Talking Therapies employment advisors: helping people to find work, stay in work and return to work. 19 February. Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/north-east-yorkshire/2025/02/19/nhs-talking-therapies-employment-advisors-helping-people-to-find-work-stay-in-work-and-return-to-work (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
nidirect (2026a) Access to Work (NI) – practical help at work. Available at: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/access-work-ni-practical-help-work (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
nidirect (2026b) Condition Management Programme. Available at: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/condition-management-programme (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
nidirect (2026c) Employment support information. Available at: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/employment-support-information (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
nidirect (2026d) Workable (NI). Available at: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/workable-ni (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
SA1 Medical Centre (n.d.) In-Work Support (IWS) – free health and work support service. Available at: https://www.sa1medicalcentre.wales.nhs.uk/seirbhs-pobail-agus-deonach/480-in-work-support-iws-free-health-and-work-support-service (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
Samaritans (n.d.) Contact us. Available at: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/ (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
Scottish Government (2026) Scotland's devolved employment services: No One Left Behind statistical summary August 2026. Available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-devolved-employment-services-no-one-left-behind-statistical-summary-august-2026/ (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
Welsh Government (2023) New scheme to help staff of small businesses access well-being support. 1 June. Available at: https://www.gov.wales/new-scheme-help-staff-small-businesses-access-well-being-support (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
Working Wales (n.d.) Communities for Work Plus. Available at: https://workingwales.gov.wales/how-we-can-help/learning-new-skills/communities-for-work-plus (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
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Important medical disclaimer
The content provided in this blog post is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your GP, psychiatrist or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. Never start, stop or change a prescribed medicine without speaking to your prescriber first.
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