Mental Health UK welcomes government winter mental health plan and commitment to additional funding

 

Following the announcement of the government’s winter plan for mental health and wellbeing, Brian Dow, Chief Executive of Mental Health UK said:

“The challenges and uncertainty of recent months have had a negative impact on our mental wellbeing and lives nationally, but they have exacerbated the experiences of those already living with mental illness before the pandemic.

“We welcome today’s announcement to address these challenges, which includes £500 million to reduce waiting times, invest in the workforce and ultimately give more people the mental health support they need. Moreover, we are particularly pleased by the government’s additional investment towards community care so that people can be safely discharged from hospital, as well as a plan to address long-standing inequalities of the physical health of people severely affected by mental illness.

“This announcement is the result of people and organisations calling for a new social contract on mental health. The key thing now is to make sure that people living with mental illness are at the heart of decisions around how their care is delivered.”