It was good to see at the recent Green Party conference raise the issue of mental health - here's what the press release says:
Cuts in Mental Health Services Leaving People Stranded, say
Greens
Green Party conference has today condemned cuts to mental
health services that are taking place around the country, warning that they are
leaving people stranded. In November, mental health charity MIND published the
results of three surveys showing that mental health services in the UK are
overstretched, that people are not being assessed quickly enough and many
people needing treatment are not getting access to services at all.
Now services that support mental health sufferers are being
cut back further by local councils and health bodies in many parts of the
country.
Adrian Ramsay, Green Party Home Affairs spokesperson,
proposed the emergency motion highlighting the impact of cuts to mental health
services. Adrian Ramsay said: “Mental health problems are common and rising but
people who need support are being left stranded by a severely overstretched
system. People who have mental health problems should have easy access to
professional support and treatment. Huge Government cuts to funding for local
services mean that people have to fight to get access to services – the
opposite of how mental health support should work. It’s crucial that the
Government properly funds mental health services and treats mental health
issues as seriously as other health problems.”
During Green Party conference, party Leader Natalie Bennett signed
the party up to the Time To Change campaign, which is raising awareness of
mental health problems in order to tackle discrimination in society.
Natalie Bennett said: “Many people experience mental health
difficulties at some point in their lives, with numbers increasing due to
widening inequality and economic uncertainty in recent years. Despite this,
mental health is something that we are not very good at talking about as a
society. The Green Party is signing the Time to Change pledge to help create a
positive shift in public attitudes towards mental health issues, to promote
wellbeing, and to eradicate discrimination and stigma. Through working with
Time to Change we hope to be an example of best practice as an organisation
that supports its staff and members’ mental health.”
For the full text of the emergency motion passed by Green Party
conference click on read more.
EMERGENCY MOTION ON MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
During this conference, Natalie Bennett signed the Time To
Change pledge on behalf of the party. The pledge means that the Green Party is
joining many other organisations in raising awareness of mental health problems
and tackling discrimination.
Time to Change has highlighted that:
·
One in four adults suffers from mental health
problems in any one year
·
One in six British workers is experiencing
depression, anxiety or stress
·
10% of children are suffering from a mental
health problem.
In November, MIND published the results of three surveys
showing that mental health services in the UK are overstretched, that people
are not being assessed quickly enough and many people needing treatment are not
getting access to services at all.
Conference notes with deep concern that funding for mental
health services is being cut further by many local councils and health bodies
around the country this month.
Conference notes that Brighton and Hove City Council has
protected its funding for mental health services and supports the work of Green
Councillors, Caroline Lucas MP and other Green campaigners in opposing cuts to
services that support mental health sufferers.
Conference asks the Green Party Executive to promote the
party’s support for the Time to Change campaign and our opposition to cuts to
mental health services through a press release, e-mail bulletins and other
campaigning opportunities.
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