For small and medium sized employers, where teams are often smaller and resources more limited, the impact of employee sickness due to poor mental health, can be particularly challenging. However, the Access to Work Mental Health Support Service, delivered on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions, is designed to help businesses thrive by addressing these challenges directly.
Our teams provide practical guidance, tailored advice and access to resources to help employers create a supportive and inclusive environment for their employees who struggle with mental health concerns.
Recognising the growing need to address stress and burnout in the sector, Skills for Care has played a key role in promoting mental health support services to the wider adult social care workforce.
The strategic workforce development and planning organisation for adult social care in England, began working with Maximus and the Access to Work Mental Health Support Service in February 2025, and by proactively signposting external colleagues and organisations to Maximus, Skills for Care is helping to drive referrals for mental health support, strengthening wellbeing provision across the sector.
The impact of this collaboration has been particularly notable in the Midlands, where awareness has grown through Skills for Care’s networks and has featured at their annual Midlands Regional Conference, which has amplified both reach and impact.
Shirley Way, Head of Region (Midlands), Skills for Care, explained: “The importance of providing mental wellbeing resources to employees, particularly SMEs, cannot be overstated. Poor mental health is often an unseen silent issue, impacting the individual and the service they work within.
“SMEs can lack the expertise, resources or finances to identify and address the problem. The partnership with Maximus bridges this gap, providing crucial resources and expertise and we have already seen a difference.
“Before Maximus started to attend our various events and networks, the knowledge of the service was almost non-existent but now we promote the Access to Work Mental Health Support Service on a regular basis to hundreds of managers and, six months on, we are now hearing about the difference it is making to people’s lives.”