Comment on the scrapping of the Long-term Mental Health and Wellbeing Plan

2-minute read

A huge missed opportunity for change

It is incredibly disheartening to hear the UK Government abandon its plan to deliver a fundamental shift in supporting people with mental health challenges.

Described as a bold, transformative, long-term strategy to build a mentally healthy society in 10 years’ time, the original ministerial statement was a welcome change in thinking. That discussions were held outside the realm of healthcare gave hope that finally, a preventative, rather than reactive, mental health interventions would be forthcoming.

This was a vital opportunity to deliver a joined-up, ambitious and clearly defined plan, which would have gone some way to addressing the decades of underfunding of mental health.

A regressive step

Much was made of the need to bring in the voice of lived experience and, indeed, much time and effort was given to providing their unique perspectives and expertise. It is only when ‘things are done with people, not to people’ and when their voices are considered equal, can we get meaningful change.

Given the state of our mental health following the pandemic, and as we struggle with the cost-of-living crisis, the 10-year Mental Health Plan was no less than the current situation requires.

Instead, the decision to combine mental health with chronic physical health conditions, under one “major conditions” health strategy, is troubling. Experience shows that mental health is the poor cousin to physical illnesses. It is hard not to see long term harm continuing as a result of this decision.

By reducing the scope, this opportunity to deliver a radical shift has been lost precisely at the time when we needed it most.

At Habitus, we have developed and designed successful peer support and community programmes for various charities, health organisations and businesses both in the UK and internationally.

We are accomplished in peer research, co-production, action-based and anti-oppressive research and evaluation. We are experts in helping organisations to engage wider community participation in their projects so that their work is more inclusive and impactful. Through this approach we are dedicated to increasing lived experience leadership.

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