Leading mental health charities and social enterprises have said the newly announced key conditions strategy today betrays the government’s promise to develop a visionary new plan for mental health, from cradle to grave, prevention to treatment.
charity, including Mental Health Foundation, Rethink Mental Illness, And SamariaThere are concerns that grouping mental ill-health with chronic health conditions such as cancer and respiratory diseases will fail to bring about the long-term government thinking needed to tackle the root causes of mental health problems or provide people with the care they need. need.
“The government has been publicly saying for almost a year that it would develop a 10-year plan for the prevention and treatment of mental health problems in England. This was really necessary, to avoid quick fixes and mental health problems beyond the health system Given every part of the role of wider society in preventing and responding to mental health issues, we need massive change to protect people’s mental health.”
The charities acknowledge the important link between mental health and physical conditions but stress that this should not mean a stand-alone mental health scheme.
““Merging the mental health plan with the major conditions strategy risks leaving out our children and young people, who are less likely to experience chronic illness, yet benefit from early action to protect their mental health” Most likely to happen.” Prevention should be at the heart of the new plan – for all the conditions it will cover – but the government’s emphasis is on the other end of life: extending people’s healthy life expectancy.
We need continued investment in high-quality person-centred support for mental health and social care services, but a percentage of NHS spending must be dedicated to preventive mental health interventions, with people experiencing mental health difficulty work and develop. ,
Mark Rowland, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said:
“Our collective voice sends a strong message that to prevent poor mental health and support people with mental health problems in England, there needs to be a dedicated strategy that shows our government is giving our mental health the priority it deserves He deserves
The Covid pandemic and the crisis of livelihood has increased the urgent need for such a scheme. England will now be the only UK country that does not have a mental health strategy or commitment to make such a plan.
Lee Milligan, chief executive of MQ Mental Health Research, said:
“We need a focused strategy from government that focuses on increasing the level of mental health services, providing early intervention for all children and investing in mental health research. Without this focus, we risk reducing 1 4 people in the UK affected by mental illness.”
Andy Bell, interim chief executive of the Center for Mental Health, said:
“It is now twelve years since the last Cross-Government Mental Health Strategy was published. A lot has changed since then, including rising rates of mental ill health. To help create a mentally healthy society, mental We urgently need a plan across government to tackle the inequalities and injustices that create ill health and to support the public service to more effectively meet people’s needs.
Charities and organizations that are calling for a dedicated mental health strategy include:
Association of Mental Health Providers
Anna Freud Center
mental health center
Helpline Partnership
mental health first aid
Mental Health Foundation
mental health uk
mind forward alliance
NHS confederation’s mental health network
MQ Mental Health Research
rethink mental illness
Samaria
to mix
youngminds
