Why Mental Health is Good for Business in Yorkshire

Introduction

Mental health is no longer just a personal or healthcare issue, it’s a business imperative. In Yorkshire, with cities like Leeds, Bradford, and York, investing in mental well-being is good for employees, and for the bottom line. From lowering sickness absence to improving productivity and staff retention, business mental health strategies can deliver real value. In this post, I’ll explore why mental health for business matters in Yorkshire, what evidence supports this, and how VÕS HELP contributes, particularly through innovation in prescribed social care, business mental health insurance, and corporate social responsibility in Leeds and Bradford.

The Case for Mental Health in Business

1. Reduced Absence, Turnover and Presenteeism

   • According to the York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, around 15% of people in work have symptoms of existing mental health conditions. Moreover, 300,000 people with long term mental health problems lose their jobs each year, at a much higher rate than those with physical conditions. These figures highlight that if businesses can support mental health better, they reduce turnover and lost productivity. (democracy.york.gov.uk)

   • Employers who invest in employee wellbeing benefit from “reduced sickness absence, increased productivity and improved workplace retention.” This comes from the UK Government’s “Health is Everyone’s Business” response. (gov.uk)

     
     

2. Cost Savings & Economic Impact

   • The same LEP report (York & North Yorkshire) estimates that poor mental health costs employers between £33 billion and £42 billion annually, mostly due to presenteeism, and that government costs (benefits, NHS, lost tax revenue) add another large burden. (democracy.york.gov.uk)

   • In West Yorkshire, creative health interventions (which are often less formal, community based wellbeing programmes) have been shown to improve outcomes outside of traditional clinical settings, helping people stay well, reducing strain on social care, and being cost effective. (westyorkshire.moderngov.co.uk)

     
     

3. Regulatory, Reputational & CSR Value

   • Having good mental health policies is increasingly part of corporate social responsibility. Stakeholders, customers, and prospective employees in Leeds, Bradford, and across Yorkshire expect organisations to care about mental health.

   • Local government, and health bodies in Yorkshire are pushing for healthier workplace models, for example research from the University of York about workforce wellbeing in small businesses in North Yorkshire advocates for employer led interventions, external mental health expertise, manager training, and healthier workplace charters. (york.ac.uk)

     
     

4. Employee Wellbeing, Engagement & Innovation

   • Supporting staff mental health improves morale, increases engagement, helps retain talent. When people feel supported, they are more likely to contribute, innovate, collaborate.

   • Innovative digital and social prescribing models (including applications and prescribed social care) can offer faster access to support, reduce barriers such as stigma, and allow people to seek help earlier. This improves both individual wellbeing and organisational health.

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Mental Health in Leeds, Bradford & Yorkshire: Some Local Challenges

• Leeds and Bradford face high demand and long waiting lists for specialist mental health services, CAMHS (child & adolescent mental health services), etc. (voshelp.com)

• Many people report confusion about where to go for help, how long they will wait, or whether they can afford or access services. This leads to worsening mental health and greater costs, for individuals, for NHS and public services, and for businesses in terms of lost productivity. VÕS HELP positions itself to address those gaps. (voshelp.com)

  
  

How VÕS HELP Can Help

VÕS HELP is well placed to support business and workforce mental health in Yorkshire, particularly in Leeds and Bradford, through several key mechanisms:

1. Fast Prescribed Social Care

   • VÕS HELP claims to be “the fastest prescribed social care in the UK,” meaning people don’t have to wait weeks or months to receive the first layer of support. This means early intervention, which can prevent more severe issues that might force people off work, reduce performance, or lead to longer absences. (voshelp.com)

   • In Leeds and Bradford, where social prescribing and prescribed social care are established but overburdened, VÕS HELP fills a gap by offering immediate support. (voshelp.com)

     
     

2. Alternative to Traditional Therapy

   • Not everyone is ready for formal therapy. VÕS HELP offers a less intimidating, more accessible option, talking to a trained professional via an app, which helps reduce stigma, lowers barriers to getting help, and can catch issues early. This contributes to workforce resilience. (voshelp.com)

     
     

3. Supporting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) & Business Mental Health Insurance

   • Businesses increasingly want to include mental health in their insurance offerings, or ensure their health insurance and employee benefits include mental health cover. VÕS HELP could partner with employers to integrate fast access into such schemes, thereby enhancing business mental health insurance packages.

   • Using VÕS HELP as part of CSR in Leeds or Bradford signals that a company cares, strengthening reputation, helping employee retention, satisfying stakeholder expectations.

     
     

4. Benefits for Employers in Leeds, Bradford & Yorkshire

   • Reduces the risk of long term sickness absence and job loss associated with untreated mental ill health.

   • Enhances productivity, employees who are mentally well perform better.

   • Improves retention, reduced turnover when employees feel supported.

   • Supports inclusion & diversity, ensuring that people with mental health issues feel supported to stay in or return to work.

     
     

Evidence & Websites

Here are six websites and sources that provide evidence supporting the above, and that readers can refer to:

Source	What It Offers / Key Evidence
York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)	Their report shows ~15% of workers have mental health symptoms, 300,000 with long term mental health problems lose jobs each year, huge cost to employers and the economy. (democracy.york.gov.uk)
University of York – Workforce Wellbeing, North Yorkshire	Research into small businesses reveals need for external mental health expertise, manager training, EAP and OH services, shows that small firms could gain from healthier workplace charters. (york.ac.uk)
Centre for Mental Health (via “Mental Health at Work: Developing the business case”)	Evidence that programmes to support mental health at work can yield financial returns several times their cost, lowering absence, improving productivity and retention. (centreformentalhealth.org.uk)
West Yorkshire Creative Health Business Case Summary	Demonstrates that creative health and community based wellbeing interventions reduce burden on traditional health and social care, and improve outcomes in mental health in Leeds and West Yorkshire. (westyorkshire.moderngov.co.uk)
NHS / Northern Partnerships - MindLife & NHSA	Highlight that digital mental health solutions in Yorkshire and Humber have high returns, World Health Organization estimates of a four fold return on digital solutions in health and productivity. (thenhsa.co.uk)
VÕS HELP own materials	Their blog outlines how mental health in Leeds and Bradford services are under pressure, how VÕS HELP offers fastest prescribed social care, how they reduce waiting times, how people benefit from accessible support. (voshelp.com)

Take-Home Points

• Mental Health for Business in Yorkshire is more than altruism, it’s good economics.

• Mental Health in Leeds: fast support, prescribed social care via VÕS HELP can help address long wait times.

• Mental Health in Bradford: similar challenges, VÕS HELP offers alternative, immediate access.

• Mental Health in Yorkshire more broadly, the regional reports show large economic costs of poor mental health and big potential gains from investing in wellbeing.

• Prescribed Social Care: VÕS HELP leads in this, being among the fastest in Leeds and Bradford.

• Business Mental Health Insurance: this is an opportunity for employers to include such services as part of benefits.

• Corporate Social Responsibility in Leeds and in Bradford: companies that support mental health show better reputation, community trust, and workforce loyalty.

  
  

Conclusion

Mental health isn’t a “nice to have” anymore in Yorkshire, it’s a business essential. Organisations in Leeds, Bradford, and elsewhere in Yorkshire that invest in mental health see reductions in absence, improvements in productivity, better staff retention, and stronger reputations.

VÕS HELP plays a key role in bridging gaps, offering fast prescribed social care, reducing barriers, helping people earlier, and thereby helping businesses.

If you run a business in Leeds, Bradford or anywhere in Yorkshire, consider partnering with or using solutions like VÕS HELP to embed mental health support, both for your workforce and as part of your Corporate Social Responsibility. The returns are both social and economic.