Posted: Monday 28 February 2011
People from minority or marginalised groups in Wales still aren’t getting the access to mental health services and support that they need.
Ahead of the National Assembly for Wales elections, Mind Cymru today launched its fourth key briefing paper, this time on equalities issues and mental health. This paper is the fourth in a series of five, building on the Mind Cymru manifesto.
Lindsay Foyster, Director of Mind Cymru, said:
People with experience of mental distress already face high levels of discrimination. If you are black, lesbian, gay or bisexual, the situation often becomes even more difficult, with people facing multiple levels of discrimination.
We know that people from minority groups have difficulties in getting the mental health support that they need and to which they are entitled. In twenty-first century Wales, this situation just isn’t acceptable.
Mind Cymru calls on all political parties to use the new Equality Act to help make equality a reality in mental health services.
Amy Clifton, Policy Advisor at Age Cymru, said:
Age discrimination in mental health services is a major issue which must be addressed as an urgent priority.
We are calling on the Welsh Assembly Government to place a specific duty on Health Boards to ‘age proof’ their policies and services to assess the impact they have on older people. This should include a full audit of all arbitrary age limits currently used in mental health services.
Treatment should be prescribed on the basis of need rather than age, and older people deserve equal access to treatment.”
Suzanne Duval, Director of Awetu, said:
Mental health support services in Wales don’t always take into account the cultural, linguistic or differing needs of BME people and so are often ineffective or inappropriate.
For BME people experiencing mental health problems in Wales at the moment the result is all too often ongoing health problems, the breakdown of families and communities, extreme poverty and hardship, and much unnecessary suffering. This situation needs to be addressed as a matter of priority.
Wales is seen to be leading the way in the equality agenda, where both race equality and mental health are fundamental concerns, yet this unfair situation is allowed to continue. It is time that Wales’ decision makers acknowledged this hidden issue and committed to taking action.
Andrew White, Director of Stonewall Cymru, said:
Our research shows that lesbian gay and bisexual people in Wales are almost four times as likely to be mental health service users as the population as a whole. Public attitudes and prejudice mean that for many, this is a double stigma.
Andrew added:
We believe that the new Act, particularly the Wales specific duties are an opportunity to really address mental health inequality for gay people across Wales.
Read the briefing in full or contact
To coincide with St David’s Day, tomorrow (1 March 2011) sees the online launch of the Mind Cymru Digital Stories in which three people in Wales describe their experiences of mental distress.
References and notes
| Age Cymru | www.ageuk.org.uk/cymru |
| Awetu | www.awetu.org.uk |
| Stonewall Cymru | www.stonewall.org.uk/cymru |