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What the parties are saying about mental health

Mental Health charity Mind has invited the Health Ministers from each main political parties to let us know what they will do for mental health if they are elected.

Conservatives
Anne Milton, Shadow Health Minister

Conservatives state that the NHS is their number one priority and promise to increase spending on the NHS every year. The mental health sector would see the introduction of a per patient funding system so that those with mental health issues could receive the treatment needed.

Additional key points in their manifesto with regards to mental health are as follows:

  • Early intervention.
  • Increased access to talking therapies and better training for medical staff about mental health problems.
  • More involvement for people in their care.
  • Single rooms in mental health units for all people with mental health problems.
  • More freedom for mental healthcare providers.

    • Labour
    Phil Hope, Minister of State, Department of Health

    Hope believes that Labour’s ten year National Service Framework for Mental Health has brought about major improvements to the country’s mental health services and is one of the reasons why The World Health Organisation has recognised Britain’s mental health services as among the best in Europe.

    In December 2009 Labour published New Horizons, which is their new mental health policy. It identifies120 different actions for ten Government Departments, the wider public sector, and the professions. Many of these workstreams are already up and running.

    One of the main factors Labour address in New Horizons is the identification of what may cause poor mental health by helping to address the wider cause. Additional key points include:

  • Improving the environment by doing things like having more green spaces in urban areas
  • Treating physical and mental health together, for example if someone has a mental health problem, they should also be offered support to improve their diet and physical health
  • Encouraging communities to work together to tackle the stigma that people with mental health problems often experience
  • Providing more opportunities for people to participate in society, through activities like volunteering
  • The Government has also committed to make people more aware of the steps we can all take to protect our mental health. This includes socialising regularly, exercising, enjoying nature and learning new things.

    • Liberal Democrats
    Greg Mulholland MP, Shadow Health Minister

    Liberal Democrats believe that doctors have little alternative but to issue prescriptions for antidepressants due to the lack of counsellors and psychologists. Therefore their main aim is to increase the provision of therapists in the NHS so that people with depression and anxiety can get access to treatment that works.

    They will provide 900,000 people with access to therapy each year by providing 10,000 therapists. This will help people with depression and anxieties regain control of their lives.

    They state that the cost of not properly treating people with mental health disorders on future generations far outweighs the cost of this investment in increasing the number of therapists.

    This entry was posted on Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 at 12:01 pm and is filed under Government, Mental Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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