This morning I met with Jonathan Moore and Daniella Fox from Rethink Mental Illness to discuss the importance of investing in mental health social care following the Coronavirus pandemic.
Established nearly 50 years ago, Rethink Mental Illness is a mental health charity which bring together experts and services from across the board to support different groups of people severely affected by mental illness.
Following my February 2021 ConservativeHome article on the need for social care reform, Rethink Mental Illness got in touch to discuss how we can work together to support those with long-term mental health illnesses to access the services they need. As I wrote in my article, the last 12 months have demonstrated to everybody that health and social care are two sides of the same coin. As we begin to emerge from the pandemic it is important now, more than ever before, to see investment in mental health social care services.
I am extremely encouraged that, as part of the five-year funding offer that will see the annual NHS budget grow by over £33.9 billion, mental health services will receive budget growth of £2.3 billion, the fastest uplift in funding ever. I also welcome the Government’s commitment of around £2 billion to address waiting times for mental health services and give more people the mental health support they need.
Accessing these services will also be made easier through the Community Mental Health Framework which, by 2024, will see services collaboratively building support around patients. This will be a fantastic way of ensuring those who are involved in patient care are also involved in the decisions that are made at every level.
Lockdown has had a profound affect on people’s mental health and through recent discussions with SW London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, it is clear that demand for mental health services has already increased. The meeting with Rethink Mental Illness was a great opportunity to discuss this, as well as how we can implement mental health support for all ages, including the fantastic Trailblazer Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) which many local schools in Carshalton and Wallington have already started developing.
I look forward to continuing to work with Rethink Mental Illness, as well as charities such as Mind and the Mental Health Foundation, to ensure mental health social care is firmly on the agenda following the pandemic.
