THE number of people with mental health problems receiving employment advice to help them return to work has risen sharply, NHS data suggests.

New figures from NHS England show that 67,794 people accessed employment advice through the NHS talking therapies programme last year, compared with 41,907 the year before — a rise of 62 per cent.

Overall, 1.8 million referrals were made to NHS talking therapies, with more than 1.2 million people starting treatment.