UK government can no longer bury its head in the sand on mental health - Mind reacts to Centre for Mental Health report
Mind has reacted to the Centre for Mental Health’s latest report showing the social and economic costs of mental health are now £300 billion, up from £119 billion in 2020 and £77 billion in 2003.
Dr Sarah Hughes, Chief Executive of Mind, said:
“This report adds to the growing list of evidence showing the scale of this crisis is too big to ignore. The Government can no longer bury its head in the sand about the need for action.
"We already know the human cost of the failure to tackle the mental health crisis, with the rising tide of people reaching out for mental health support as the lingering impacts of the pandemic and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis continue to take their toll. We now know the true financial cost of inaction on mental health.
“With a General Election on the horizon, there is an opportunity for all parties to set out how they plan to tackle the scale of need. All the evidence points to the need for a genuinely cross-government approach to mental health which would look to prevent problems before they arise, tackle longstanding inequalities as well as put in place the support so that everyone with mental health problems can get the help they need, when they need it.”
