#GE17 – What are the parties saying about Mental Health?
June 8, 2017 at 6:37 am
[Editorial note: this blog post was published on June 8th 2017, general election polling day. The content listed below may no longer reflect the position of the political parties mentioned]
It’s election day, it is finally here!
We aren’t going to tell you who to vote for or label you as “wrong” for disagreeing with us but we want to make sure you have the facts about what the main parties are pledging for Mental Health services if elected.
Please note, this information has been put together from articles written by the parties for Mind; SNP and UKIP articles were not published at time of writing
The Conservative Party
- To ensure more people are able to access Mental Health Services, if re-elected, the Conservatives will invest £1.4billion in to the sector by 2020 and recruit thousands more MH professionals.
- Provide Mental Health training to all new health professionals.
- Ensure every primary and secondary school has staff trained in supporting young people with mental health and, for those who need further support, reform CAMHS.
- “Rip up the 1983 Mental Health Act” and bring in the new Mental Health Treatment Bill which has parity of esteem at the heart of it.
- Improve workplace life for those with mental health conditions.
The Labour Party
- Party-wide commitment to improving Mental Health services.
- £37 billion investment in to the NHS over the next government, this will not only help fund improved Mental Health services but also ensure the”NHS no longer needs to raid mental health budgets to fill black holes elsewhere”.
- Mental Health budgets (including CAMHS) will be ring-fenced.
- Focus more resources on early intervention.
- Ensure all secondary schools have funds available to provide counselling and support to pupils who require additional support for their mental health.
- £8 billion over the next 5 years will be invested in to social care to help those receiving help at home.
- End the NHS pay freeze and reintroduce training bursaries for nurses.
The Green Party
“The Green Party has a three-pronged approach to tackling the mental health crisis in the UK. We must prevent poor mental health from a young age, help those who are already suffering, and invest properly in both prevention and treatment by ensuring parity of esteem with physical health.”
- Make changes elsewhere in the system to reduce the impact on the populations Mental Health. suggestions being scrapping zero hours contracts and introducing awareness and empathy training in schools to help change the way young people think about themselves and their peers amongst other things.
- Invest in the NHS to improve Mental Health Services.
The Liberal Democrats
- Invest £6 billion in to the NHS each year with £1 billion ring-fenced for Mental Health Services.
- Implement access and waiting time standards for mental health care in line with other services such as A&E and cancer treatment access.
- Make Mental Health education a compulsory aspect of the curriculum.
- Provide more funding for schools to provide onsite professional support.
- Provide incentives for employers to prioritise employee well-being.
Plaid Cymru
- Major investment in Mental Health Services.
- Continuing to talk about Mental Health to raise awareness and reduce discrimination.
- Increase the number of Mental Health beds available. Plaid recognise that the use of police cells for those in Mental Health crisis is not acceptable.
- Fund further research in to treatments so the country can move away from the current “one size fits all” approach.
June 8, 2017 at 6:37 am | Blog | No comment