The Conservatives Get Moving

Posted Friday 9 October 2009

And so to Manchester for our third week of party conference work, this time with the Conservatives, the current favourites to form the new Government at the next general election.

This week is of course Get Moving week, and up and down the country hundreds of events are taking place to encourage people to improve their physical activity to improve their mental well being.

The Conservative conference was no exception. Mind pedometers were the must have item of Conference, and once we'd explained to some slightly bemused delegates how they worked, many were to be seen frequently checking them to find out how many steps they'd taken.

The theme of work and worklessness was a major one at this conference, and David Cameron set the ball rolling by announcing that all people currently on Incapacity Benefit would be reviewed and many would lose some of their benefits as a result.

Mind was quick to respond to this, reflecting the concerns voiced by many of this approach. So we were heartened to hear Theresa May qualifying their position on Channel 4 News and recognising the importance of providing the right level of support for people with mental health problems. This message was also reinforced by Tory Disabilities Minister Mark Harper.

There's no doubt that whichever party wins the election, change is coming, and the main question seems to be around the pace of change. We continue to call for a system which puts people with mental health problems at the heart of its approach and recognises their needs.

Paul Farmer, Chief Executive

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2 Comments

• Patricia Monksfield replied on 15 Oct 2009 at 09:54

  I agree.

• ButtercupP replied on 16 Oct 2009 at 17:34

  The trouble is that, in reality, people with mental health problems are already failing ESA medicals because the doctors have no mental health training, the tests themselves don`t pick up mental illness and information, for example, from a psychiatrist or cpn is ignored. Nothing the conservatives said made me think that their approach would be any different.