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Mental Health Solicitors

Mind responds to government’s mental health care plans (10 January 2017)

Date: 10/01/2017
Duncan Lewis, Mental Health Solicitors, Mind responds to government’s mental health care plans

Mind has responded to a package of measures to address mental health issued announced by the government on Monday (09/01/17), saying that mental health should be at the heart of government.

Prime Minister Theresa May announced the comprehensive package of measures to transform mental health support in schools, workplaces and communities.

The government has also published its response to the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health – a five-year plan launched in 2016 by a taskforce led by Mind’s Chief Executive Paul Farmer.

The Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt has also announced new suicide prevention measures and plans to better support people at risk of self- harm.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

“For too long, mental illness has been something of a hidden injustice in our country, shrouded in a completely unacceptable stigma – and dangerously disregarded as a secondary issue to physical health. Yet left unaddressed, it destroys lives, it separates people from each other and deepens the divisions within our society.

“Changing this goes right to the heart of our humanity – to the heart of the kind of country we are, the values we share, the attitudes we hold and our determination to come together and support each other. I want us to employ the power of government as a force for good to transform the way we deal with mental health problems right across society and at every stage of life.”

The plans include new support for schools, with every secondary school in the country to be offered mental health first aid training and new trials to look at how to strengthen the links between schools and local NHS mental health staff. There will also be a major thematic review of children and adolescent mental health services across the country, led by the Care Quality Commission, to identify what is working and what it not. A new Green Paper on children and young people’s mental health will set out plans to transform services in schools, universities and for families.

A new partnership with employers will seek to improve mental health support in the workplace. The Prime Minister has appointed Lord Dennis Stevenson and Mind’s Paul Farmer to drive work with business and the public sector to support mental health in the workplace. They will lead a review on how best to ensure employees with mental health problems are supported in the workplace, including practical help.

Further alternatives to hospital to support people in the community will be introduced – and the government will invest £15 million to provide and promote new models of community-based care such as crisis cafés and community clinics.

There are also plans to expand treatment by investing in and expanding digital mental health services, with £67.7m set aside for a digital mental health package, so that people worried about stress, anxiety or more serious issues can check their symptoms online and access digital therapy.

Chief Executive of Mind, Paul Farmer, said:

“It’s important to see the Prime Minister talking about mental health – and shows how far we have come in bringing the experiences of people with mental health problems up the political agenda.

“Mental health should be at the heart of government and at the heart of society and communities – it’s been on the periphery for far too long. We welcome the announcements around a focus on prevention in schools and workplaces and support for people in crisis. The proof will be in the difference it makes to the day-to-day experience of the one in four who will experience a mental health problem this year.

“Mental health is everyone’s business and we need to see sustained leadership to make sure services and support improve for all of us with mental health problems.

“I welcome the Government’s response to the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health – and am pleased that in general our recommendations have been accepted, in some cases with commitments that go beyond what we recommended.

“The key now is in the delivery…we will be keeping a close eye on the delivery of the Five Year Forward View and holding government to account on the promises made today.”

Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is the UK’s largest provider of Legal Aid mental health services and can advise mental health patients on a wide range of issues – including access to NHS mental health services and detention under the Mental Health Act.

Duncan Lewis mental health solicitors regularly visit NHS hospitals to advise on mental health law – and are available across England and Wales at short notice for hospital and police station appointments.

In some cases, Duncan Lewis mental health solicitors may be able to advise the nearest relative or carer of a mental health patient on a range of issues, including initiating treatment reviews where appropriate.

For expert legal advice on mental health law, call the Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors Helpline on 020 3114 1124.


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