Giving people with mental health problems equal access to vital services

Access essentials report cover graphic

Merlyn Holkar, Research Officer, Katie Evans, Head of Research & Policy, Kate Langston, Intern

Access essentials

Giving people with mental health problems equal access to vital servicess

4 July 2018

Millions of people with mental health problems struggle to effectively use essential services due to difficulties with tasks like making telephone calls, opening the post or navigating complex online forms.

  • Over half of people with mental health problems (54%) have serious difficulties using the phone to carry out essential admin (compared to 32% of people without mental health problems).
  • Four in ten people with mental health problems have severe ‘admin anxiety’, causing symptoms like breathlessness, sweating or shaking.

In this report, we deepen our understanding of difficulties customers experiencing mental health problems can face when managing essential services, before looking at the steps individual firms can, and should, take to address them.