The UK reaches 17 million working days lost to mental ill-health in 2026 today, according to analysis by Simplyhealth, the health services and health plan provider, which also found that nearly a third of employees with mental health support through their employer may not realise they have it.
The milestone falls two days before World Mental Health Day on Saturday. Simplyhealth said mental ill-health is the leading cause of long-term employee absence in the UK and the second leading cause of short-term absence.
Simplyhealth has published a running total at intervals this year. When it reported the eight million mark on 14 May, it said the calculation was based on the Health and Safety Executive’s estimate of 22.1 million working days lost to stress, depression or anxiety in 2024/25, spread across 253 working days, an average of about 87,500 a day. The HSE figure covers self-reported work-related ill health in Great Britain.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development reported in September 2025 that sick days had reached a 15-year high, with mental health the leading cause of absences lasting four weeks or more.
The figure was released alongside survey findings from Simplyhealth’s report, The Access Gap: Building healthcare around real working lives, published on 8 September and based on research with 5,000 UK employees and 500 HR decision-makers.
The research found that 61 per cent of employers said they offer mental health support, while 41 per cent of employees reported having it. Simplyhealth said the difference suggests nearly a third of employees may have access to support without realising it.
Among employees, 14 per cent said faster mental health appointments would improve their ability to access the healthcare they want, rising to 19 per cent among Gen Z and 15 per cent among Millennials. Across all generations, 11 per cent said specialist services, including mental health, would help, and 8 per cent said they would like access to digital mental health support.
Employees reported losing an average of 2.1 working days in the last 12 months because of delayed or difficult access to healthcare, and 52 per cent had delayed seeking medical care in the last year. Two thirds, 66 per cent, said they would be more productive if they could access healthcare more quickly.
The report, which includes economic analysis by WPI Economics, put the cost of barriers to healthcare access at £17bn to the UK economy in 2025.
Simplyhealth said in September that it is a Vanguard organisation in the government’s Keep Britain Working review, led by Sir Charlie Mayfield, whose Get Britain Working taskforce had signed up more than 250 employers by July.
Simplyhealth and Mental Health First Aid England (MHFA England) are encouraging employers to improve access to mental health support, starting with giving managers the skills and confidence to talk about mental health. The two organisations said they have provided nearly 1,000 people with free training through a course called Mental Health Aware: an introduction to Mental Health.
Bree Rhodes-Wort, partnerships development manager at Simplyhealth and a trained mental health first aider, said: “17 million working days lost to mental ill-health is a stark reminder that poor mental health has far-reaching impacts, on individuals, communities and the economy.”
She added: “That’s why it’s so important that managers have the confidence and skills to talk about mental health. When this is combined with accessible, professional mental health support through workplace health benefits, people can get help earlier, before problems escalate.”
Vicki Cockman, director of training and consultancy at MHFA England, said: “Employers are paying for mental health support that up to a third of their people may not know exists. Managers are best placed to close that gap, but they can’t do it alone. Train them to have the conversation and signpost with confidence, then back them with wider organisational support.”
She said MHFA England’s Workplace Mental Health First Aid Standards set out “what effective, sustainable provision looks like”.
Simplyhealth provides 24/7 mental health support and counselling, health cash plans and pay-as-you-go services to its members. The company, which has no shareholders, said it will look at how it can evolve its mental health proposition during the rest of 2026, working with its partners.
