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A top mental health charity today blasted new plans to put mental health advisors in JobCentres.

JobCentre staff will be able to refer claimants for treatment under the scheme by Tory Amber Rudd - with vulnerable people even assessed in the Jobcentre itself.

The Work and Pensions Secretary said the scheme, to be trialled in Milton Keynes, will spot those in need and get them help quicker.

But Mind, one of Britain's biggest mental health charities, told the Mirror Jobcentres are "completely inappropriate" for treatment.

Policy manager Paul Spencer said "we need to see" improvements for mental health but "these plans are not the way to do that."

(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

He added: "Mental health services should be delivered in a calm and therapeutic environment by people with knowledge and expertise about the complex and varying nature of mental health, and how it can impact someone’s life.

"Jobcentres are completely inappropriate environments to talk about mental health.

"They are usually busy, noisy and open-plan, causing anxiety and leading people to worry that private conversations can be overheard."

He added: "People with mental health problems repeatedly tell us they dread any encounters at Jobcentres because of a lack of trust and concerns that their benefits will be stopped or cut if they can’t do what’s asked of them.

"Even when Jobcentre initiatives are described as voluntary too many people still fear losing their benefits if they’re not able to engage for any reason.

(Image: PA)

"If people feel pressure to receive or undergo treatment which is not right for them, that risks damaging their trust in mental health services and willingness to seek help in the future, increasing the chance of people reaching crisis point."

And he said: "If the Government really wants to improve the support for people with mental health problems in the benefits system then they should remove the threat of sanctions altogether, and overhaul the culture of Jobcentres."

Another charity, Rethink Mental Illness, said more specialist support for jobseekers was a "positive thing".

But policy chief Gillian Connor warned: "We have also heard many upsetting accounts from people with mental health problems who felt pressured by the DWP to get working before they were ready, which only made them more unwell.

"Many people have also told us that a lack of understanding of mental illness among JobCentre staff has made every step of accessing benefits they rely on incredibly difficult.

"Having more mental health trained specialists in job centres generally could help improve things, and it will be interesting to hear from those involved in the pilot how the trial goes to assess people in job centres and refer them for treatment.

"It’s good to trial new ideas but decisions need to be based on what’s best for the people the benefits system is meant to be there to support."

The policy, unveiled over the weekend and confirmed today by Ms Rudd in the Commons, will see Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and NHS staff test a "new approach to treatment".

Under the trial, DWP Work Coaches will be given "new abilities" to refer people for treatment.

An initial mental health assessment would then take place in the Jobcentre itself - cutting out the current 28-day wait.

DWP officials insisted the trial is entirely voluntary and designed to help people access support.

Anyone taking part will be offered support by “trained healthcare professionals” in an area away from the main floor of the Jobcentre.

Ms Rudd said: "I know that the security of a regular wage, the camaraderie of the workplace and the self esteem you get from being in work can vastly improve the mental health of so many people.

“That’s why providing people with mental health conditions with as much support as possible, so they can get back into work, is one of my top priorities."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock added: "The move is expected to significantly improve waiting times for access to psychological therapies (IAPT) services and enhance the Jobcentre’s support so it reaches the most vulnerable people."