Today, the NHS will launch a new landmark campaign using the iconic Beatles song ‘Help!” to get people in the South East and across the country to take better care of their mental health.

Backed by some of the UK’s biggest artists, the campaign will encourage people struggling with their mental health to seek support.

‘Help!’, written by John Lennon in 1964, was credited by the superstar songwriter as one of his most honest and genuine songs and with lyrics like ‘Help me if you can I’m feeling down’, the song is the ideal soundtrack to get others thinking about their mental health.

Following a national survey carried out by NHS England and Improvement in 2020/21, 427 of the 3,000 people who took part were from the South East. Fifty-two percent of the 427 people said they were concerned about their mental health, with half experiencing stress (50%), 48% experiencing anxiety and 49% of people experiencing low mood or depression. The majority of those who struggled (68%) also did not seek any professional help for their mental health.

However, since April 2020, over 230,000 people in the South East have come forward for NHS talking therapies. This number is expected to increase as those who were surveyed said they were more conscious of their mental health this year, with 52% of the 427 surveyed planning to focus on their mental health in 2022.

Olivia Falgayrac-Jones, Deputy Director of Clinical Delivery for Mental Health, said: “I know the past few years has had a huge impact on the nation’s mental health and our message to people is clear: the NHS is open and staff want you to come forward, so please seek help either by referring yourself to the NHS talking therapy programme online or by contacting your local GP, particularly if you were one of the many people who felt unable to do so as the pandemic hit. Talking therapies can be available face to face, over the phone or by video consultation.”

The NHS is encouraging anybody experiencing anxiety, depression, or other common mental health concerns to come forward and see how talking therapies can help them.

NHS mental health talking therapies are a confidential service run by fully trained experts and can be accessed by self-referral or through your GP.

And thanks to Sony Music and Apple Corps, who have donated the lyrics and melody of the Beatles classic to the campaign, top names from the UK music industry including Craig David, Girls Aloud’s Nicola Roberts, Tom Grennan, Laura Mvula, Ella Henderson and Max George, will launch the campaign with a speaking rendition of the song – encouraging more people to seek ‘Help!’.

The all-star campaign, which will run across radio, social media, and on demand, is also being backed by a number of leading charities.