Re: investigating the impact of financial concerns on symptoms of depression in UK healthcare workers: data from the UK REACH nationwide cohort study

Abstract

This editorial comments on the paper by Martin McBride and the UK REACH team (published in 2023) investigating financial concerns in UK healthcare workers and depressive symptoms. The research concludes that reporting future financial concerns at baseline increased the odds of depressive symptoms at follow-up around 18 months later. We discuss these findings in the context of the cost-of-living crisis and pay disputes within the NHS, important policy implications and directions for future research.

Keywords

• Mental health
• healthcare workers
• financial concerns
• depressive disorders
• National Health Service