The NHS relies on Indian and Filipino staff – but does its mental health support work for them?

England's health and social care workforce is more ethnically diverse than ever. Indian and Filipino professionals make up a substantial share of that workforce – staffing wards, providing care, holding services together. But when those workers need mental health support themselves, the services available may not meet them where they are.

Research already shows that psychological support does not work equally well for everyone. Minority ethnic groups sometimes experience different outcomes from the same interventions. Yet the BRIGHTNESS study is, to our knowledge, the first to ask a basic question: what helps or hinders Indian and Filipino health and social care workers in England when they try to seek and access professional mental health support?

Our approach and partners

The BRIGHTNESS study set out to answer that question directly – by asking the people it affects. Working with five patient and public involvement representatives who helped shape the research from the outset, the team interviewed 21 health and social care workers who identified as Indian or Filipino. Some took part in online interviews; others provided written responses. All shared what influences whether they reach out for help, what their experiences of services have been, and what they think would make those services work better.

The study was led by Jasmine Laing in the University of Oxford's Department of Experimental Psychology, and also contributed to the knowledge base on effective patient and public involvement through close collaboration with ARC OxTV's PPIE leads.

What we found – and why it matters

Participants described a complex picture. Many felt broadly supported and spoke positively about working in England, describing it as generally accepting of mental health and help-seeking. But they also identified clear barriers – practical, cultural, and systemic – that can prevent people from accessing the support they need.

Drawing directly on participants' experiences and suggestions, the study produced 12 evidence-based recommendations for decision-makers. These span the full pathway from awareness to access:

1. Start from the ground up – educate staff about mental health before promoting services to them.
2. Normalise early and often – use inductions and professional development to make mental health conversations routine.
3. Tailor recruitment and messaging – take a culturally and professionally informed approach to outreach.
4. Recognise that managers matter – equip and support line managers to have mental health conversations with staff.
5. Earn trust – use cultural ambassadors and mental health champions, and actively counter misinformation.
6. Upskill rather than outsource – train non-mental health staff to provide frontline mental health support.
7. Cater for different needs – offer multiple formats and options, not a single pathway.
8. Enable support during working hours – create protected therapy time within rosters.
9. Foster cultural awareness – deliver cultural competency training for mental health professionals.
10. Create familiarity in the unfamiliar – expand and diversify the mental health workforce itself.
11. Ask, don't assume – personalise support based on individual needs and preferences rather than group stereotypes.
12. Share the load – ensure mental health teams work together rather than in silos.

What this means

These recommendations give policymakers and other decision-makers across NHS and social care settings a practical starting point for making mental health support more accessible to a workforce they depend on. The findings reinforce an important message for this specific context: one size does not fit all. People's experiences, preferences, and barriers differ – and services need to be flexible enough to respond.

As one participant put it: even if they were not staying long in the UK, they wanted to contribute something meaningful that could help their fellow Filipinos and Indians, particularly in raising awareness about mental health. That impulse – to improve things for others who share your experience – runs through the study itself.

What needs to happen next

The BRIGHTNESS team plans to share these recommendations with stakeholders and policymakers across health and social care trusts in England. But recommendations only matter if the people with the power to act on them actually see them – and that means reaching workforce leads, wellbeing teams, and trust boards, not just researchers.

The team also intends to meet with Indian and Filipino health and social care workers to discuss the findings and support peer-led learning. This study focused on two communities, but it highlights a broader principle: different minority ethnic groups may face different barriers, and future research should explore those distinctions rather than treating "ethnic minority workforce" as a single category.