We were also concerned about the impact of staff shortages on the welfare of the mental health workforce. Stakeholders told us about increased workload and pressure leading to “burnout” of remaining staff, contributing to a higher rate of staff turnover, and therefore more staff shortages in a vicious cycle. In 2021–22, 17,000 (12%) staff left the NHS mental health workforce, up from 13,000 (9%) in the pandemic year 2020–21, and pre-pandemic levels of around 14,000 (11%) a year. The proportion of staff citing work-life balance reasons for leaving increased from 4% in 2012–13 to 14% in 2021–22. In addition, the percentage of days lost from the mental health workforce “due to psychiatric reasons” has doubled in a decade.9 NHSE noted that, in common with all NHS staff, mental health problems are one of the two “biggest drivers of sickness”. It told us it is “very sighted of” the issue and has been working with providers to help support staff wellbeing.10 The Department and NHSE set out a number of other actions they are taking to help expand the workforce in the short term. These included, for example, schemes to increase overseas recruitment, the introduction of new additional roles such as peer support workers, the additional roles reimbursement scheme for GP practices to employ staff like mental health practitioners, and higher grants for mental health nursing students.11