MPs’ offices acting as ‘hidden mental health service’, research reveals

New research from Rethink Mental Illness uncovers the scale of mental health-related casework carried out by parliamentary staffers to support struggling constituents

• Almost nine in 10 (88%) of MPs’ staff have direct experience dealing with a suicidal constituent.
• Most staff (53%) say their own mental health has been negatively impacted by mental health casework. One in five (20%) have considered quitting because of the issue.
• The majority (54%) of MPs’ staff reported an increase in the amount of mental health casework since starting in the role. No respondents said it had decreased.

Almost nine in 10 (88%) parliamentary staffers have direct experience of dealing with a suicidal constituent, according to a new report from leading mental health charity Rethink Mental Illness which reveals a ‘hidden mental health service’.

The charity surveyed staff from 120 offices representing parties from across the political spectrum and throughout the UK to uncover the scale of mental health casework carried out by parliamentary staffers, who are responsible for the bulk of engagement with constituents.*

The majority (54%) of staffers reported a rise in mental health casework since starting in their role, with almost half (47%) receiving mental health-related correspondence on a daily basis. Not a single staffer reported a decrease in mental health casework. 

Over half (53%) of staffers said that their own mental health had been negatively affected, with one caseworker from London adding that “it’s very challenging and is something that’s become a lot more so in the six years I’ve worked in parliamentary roles”.

As many as one in five (20%) staffers told Rethink Mental Illness that they had considered quitting their job because of the impact of the mental health casework they were handling, and over half (52%) do not think there is sufficient training for casework involving mental illness. As one caseworker emphasised, staff are operating “beyond their professional remit without adequate resources or training”.

Staffers were asked to identify up to three of the most common issues raised by constituents. In a year marked by intense debate around social security reform, disability benefit claims linked to mental illness stood out as a leading concern, cited by 76% of staffers. Concerns about the impact of national or local policy (57%) were also widely reported.

Around half (52%) of staffers listed requests for support for others, such as a child or partner, as a common reason for contact, while 49% cited people reaching out about support for themselves. The fact that a high proportion of people were reaching out for support for someone else may reflect the growing number of children and adolescents facing mental health challenges.

Concerningly, 24% of staffers cited constituents seeking emotional or therapeutic support directly from an MP’s office as one of the most common reasons for contact.

One constituency caseworker from the East of England explained: “People are really more unwell. They’re not getting the help, they’re not getting early intervention, they’re not getting the right support at the right time.” 

The report recommends mandatory mental health training for MPs’ staff, formal support to help those handling challenging casework, and an established protocol for managing calls from constituents who are suicidal or experiencing significant mental distress.

The charity also warns that the high volume of mental health-related casework reflects a wider lack of support, as mental illness and demand for services rise across the country. Rethink Mental Illness is calling for the government to tackle mental health waiting lists and ensure people can access preventative support in their communities sooner.

Mark Winstanley, Chief Executive of Rethink Mental Illness said:

“When we think of frontline mental health workers, we probably think of GPs, psychologists or social workers. But the reality is that this role is increasingly falling to parliamentary staff, rather than trained mental health professionals.

“Rising mental health casework is putting the wellbeing of both people living with serious mental illness and the staff supporting them on the line. We cannot see this worrying trend in isolation. We need to see real change in how mental health casework is managed in parliament, alongside broader action to address the rising levels of distress that lead people to contact their MPs to try and secure the support that they need.

“A change in national leadership marks an opportunity for a real shift in the government’s approach to tackling the nation’s mental ill-health. We urgently need better support and guidance for MPs' staffers, but this must be paired with more ambitious longer-term action on mental health to meet the challenges so many people across the country are facing.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

For further information or interview requests, please contact Jamie Morrell, Media Manager, at media@rethink.org or 0207 840 3138.

About the survey

*Parliamentary staff perform a range of functions on behalf of MPs, from policy research and communications to constituent support. Caseworkers are responsible for helping members of the public to navigate issues with public services and organisations, liaising with relevant bodies and advocating on constituents' behalf to help resolve concerns.

This research used a mixed methods approach, combining a largely quantitative survey with follow-up qualitative interviews. The survey was open from 25 November 2025 to 26 January 2026 and was completed by 148 parliamentary staffers from 120 unique MP offices. It included a mixture of mainly scale-based and multiple-choice questions, alongside optional free-text fields where respondents could elaborate on their experiences in greater detail. 

Participation in both the survey and the interviews was entirely voluntary. While this dataset is not statistically representative of all parliamentary staff, it nonetheless captures the voices and experiences of different staffers across a variety of roles and constituencies.

With responses from nearly a fifth (18%) of all MP offices, this research marks an impactful contribution to understanding the mental health pressures facing constituency staff.

Rethink Mental Illness conducted this survey with funding support from Teva UK. Teva UK has reviewed this survey report to ensure accuracy but did not influence the content or interpretation of the results. This agreement does not represent endorsement for any products produced by Teva UK. 

About Rethink Mental Illness 

Rethink Mental Illness is the charity for people severely affected by mental illness. No matter who a person is or how bad their situation has got, we are here to help them get the information and support they need to live a better life.

We work tirelessly to ensure people living with mental illness and their carers are listened to, treated fairly and have easy access to services that meet their mental health needs and wider physical health, financial, housing, work and volunteering needs.

We do this by providing our own services, campaigning on a local and national level, and working with a wide range of other organisations to create communities that care.