House of Lords votes to give mental health 'parity of esteem'

Posted Wednesday 8 February 2012

Mind has welcomed the news that the House of Lords has voted in favour of an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill which clarifies that mental and physical health will have equal footing.

The amendment was put forward by Mind, Rethink Mental Illness, Royal College of Psychiatrists, The Centre for Mental Health and the Mental Health Foundation.

Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, said:

We are absolutely delighted that this amendment has been passed. For the first time there will be legal recognition that mental health is just as important as physical health in the NHS. And it fulfils the aspiration of the Government’s 2011 mental health strategy No health without mental health’.

Anyone of us can have a mental health problem, yet despite this, mental health services have been underfunded and overlooked for years. We hope the Government stands by this ground-breaking amendment as the Bill goes through.

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