Service user employment programme

South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust's User Employment Programme helps people with mental health problems to:

retain or find new paid employment or voluntary work
enter mainstream education and training.

The programme was launched in 1995, and followed by the Trust's Charter for the employment of people who have experienced mental health problems in 1997.

The key aims of the programme are to:

provide support for people who have experienced mental health problems in existing posts in the Trust on the same terms and conditions as others
help decrease employment discrimination against people who have experienced mental health difficulties throughout the Trust.

How the programme has helped

By 2009, the programme had supported people with mental health conditions in 223 jobs within all clinical professions across the Trust. Of those who no longer need support from the programme, 86 per cent have continued employment in the Trust, or moved into professional education such as nursing or clinical psychology training.

Since its launch in 1995, the programme has:

helped people to gain or retain employment in other health and social care organisations
ensured that, since 1999, at least 15 per cent of all employees recruited to the Trust have personal experience of mental health problems (this figure rose to 17 per cent in 2007)
provided short-term work preparation for 113 people, 47 per cent of whom have moved into employment within or outside the Trust

Model of good practice

The User Employment Programme is recognised as a model of good practice. It has also become a full partner in the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health's Centre of Excellence in Employment programme.

More information

If you would like some more information, or to take part in the User Employment Programme, please contact:
Joss Hardisty
1st Floor
Harewood House
Springfield University Hospital
61 Glenburnie Road
London
SW17 7DJ
Tel: 020 8682 6308
Email: Joss.Hardisty@swlstg-tr.nhs.uk