Mind responds to the announcement of Our Plan for Patients by the Department for Health and Social Care
Today the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and Deputy Prime Minister, Thérèse Coffey, announced the UK government’s Our Plan for Patients in the House of Commons.
Responding to the announcement, Vicki Nash, Associate Director of Policy, Campaigns and Public Affairs at Mind, said:
“The UK government’s announcement today of “Our Plan for Patients” is a wasted opportunity to present new, innovative solutions to the country’s mental health crisis. With no mention of new cash or targets, this plan will not solve the problems the mental health sector faces. On top of ongoing problems retaining staff – which this announcement does little to address – the NHS faces a backlog of over a million people waiting for mental health support, a crumbling mental health estate and the pressures of a looming recession.
“Thérèse Coffey says this plan meets people’s priorities for the health service. But research shows that, among health issues, mental health is the number one issue people are concerned with. If the Health Secretary really wants to address people’s priorities, she must make sure the UK government prioritise reforms to improve the outdated and racist Mental Health Act, and recommit to a fully-funded, 10 year, cross-Government mental health plan, outlining how different departments will work together to transform mental health services.
“The UK government need to be able to identify and address the many contributory factors to poor mental health, including problems with employment, finances, accessing benefits and housing – and a cross-Government mental health plan would allow them to do just that. An effective plan would set out clear steps to improve the quality and accessibility of mental health services, instead of applying the same inadequate sticking plasters every year.”
-ENDS-
