A coalition comprising charities, think tanks, and staff groups has called upon ministers in England to address fundamental societal issues such as poverty, inadequate housing, air pollution, and racism in order to alleviate the country’s deteriorating mental health crisis. Their recommendations for improving mental health also encompass reforms to the benefits system and efforts to rectify the stark inequality where individuals with severe psychiatric conditions die up to two decades earlier than the general population.
These proposals are outlined in a report by the Centre for Mental Health, drawing upon policy suggestions from 35 prominent organizations including Mind, Rethink Mental Illness, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Place2Be counseling service, and children’s charities like the Children’s Society.
The coalition asserts that sustained action is necessary due to the compounding effects of COVID-19, austerity measures, and the cost of living crisis, all of which have contributed to a recent surge in mental health challenges among England’s population.
The report highlights that the growing number of individuals grappling with mental health issues – 8.2 million live with at least one condition such as anxiety or depression – leads to “preventable misery, death, demand on stretched services, lost economic productivity, and costs reaching tens of billions of pounds.”
It also presents a 10-year plan to enhance mental health, including the following measures:
Child Poverty Act: Implementing a new Child Poverty Act aimed at eradicating child poverty by 2030.
Minimum Income Guarantee: Establishing a minimum income guarantee and reforming sick pay.
Lifestyle Regulations: Taking action against factors such as junk food, smoking, alcohol, and gambling.
The report calls for the integration of a “mental health test” into every government policy to ensure its contribution to tackling mental ill-health.
Sean Duggan, CEO of the NHS Confederation’s mental health network, emphasizes the need for the NHS to respond to the rising demand for mental health care, asserting that tackling social determinants of ill-health is crucial to reducing mental health issues at their source. He warns that insufficient investment in mental health services threatens the entire NHS.
In response, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care highlights the government’s commitment to expanding mental health services, with an additional annual investment of up to £2.3 billion until 2024 to support an additional 2 million people.
The government’s major conditions strategy will be shaped by evidence submitted by mental health organizations, intended initially for the now-cancelled dedicated strategy.
