Mental Health Policy Group
Mind is part of the Mental Health Policy Group, a partnership of 6 organisations working to improve mental health. The group also includes:
What does the Mental Health Policy Group do?
- We represent providers, professionals and people who use mental health services.
- We champion cross-government approaches to improve services. We support early intervention and prevention for mental health problems.
- We meet with ministers, political stakeholders, government officials and NHS bodies. We offer support and challenge their approach.
What has the Mental Health Policy Group achieved?
We've advocated on lots of issues over the last 10 years.
We demanded a review of the outdated Mental Health Act. And in 2018, the government completed an independent review.
We made the case for a Covid-19 recovery plan. We argued that people with serious mental health problems should be prioritised for vaccinations.
We supported 3 changes to the Health and Care Act 2022. These changes helped to make sure mental health is seen as equal to physical health.
Mental Health Policy Group's future priorities
We've achieved a lot, but there's still more to do. We want to:
- Make sure mental health is high on the agenda for all political parties in the next election
- Tackle racial injustice in mental health, addressing its root causes and the social factors which influence it
- Make sure the government passes the Mental Health Bill ahead of the next general election
- See the NHS Long Term Plan delivered completely, and make sure there's a plan in place for when it ends
- Make sure the Major Conditions Strategy includes a plan for mental health, covering all ages and topics like prevention and health inequality
- See Integrated Care Systems prioritise mental health
- Advocate for better patient safety in mental health services, especially on inpatient wards
- See more focus on prevention and reducing inequalities
- Raise the profile of mental health social care by pushing for reform and more funding
Read our reports
- A Mentally Healthier Nation (2023) – our 10-year, cross-government plan for better prevention, equality and support for mental health
- Manifesto for a new prime minister (2022) – some key actions we need to see from the prime minister
- Towards equality for mental health (2019) – the steps we need to take to make sure mental health is seen as equal to physical health
- Our manifesto for the next UK government (2019) – 5 areas the government must address to improve the lives of people with mental health problems
Any questions?
For more information about the Mental Health Policy Group, get in touch! We'd love to hear from you.