Almost a billion pounds of investment in England, targeted support for new mums and the first ever waiting time targets for teenagers with eating disorders, will all be announced by the Prime Minister today.
The announcementswill come as part of a speech focused on the Government’s plans to “transformpeople’s life chances and begin a new approach to put a stop to poverty”.
The plans havealso been recommended by NHS England’s independent mental health taskforce –comprised of experts, chaired by Mind CEO Paul Farmer and set up as part of theNHS England plan for the next 5 years. The report, to be published in thecoming weeks, will also suggest a 5 year mental health strategy for the NHS inEngland.
With 1 in 4expected to develop a problem such as a form of depression or anxiety this yearalone, and suicide now the leading cause of death for men under 50, the PrimeMinister will say that “it is time to stop sweeping mental health issuesunder the carpet” and will call for a “frank and open discussion onhow we can tackle the issue”.
His plans willinclude:
- £290 million of new investment in England over the next 5 years to provide mental healthcare for new mums
- £247 million to invest in liaison mental health services in emergency departments
- over £400 million to enable 24/7 treatment in communities as a safe and effective alternative to hospital
- expanded services to help teenagers with eating disorders – as anorexia kills more than any other mental health condition
Furtherinvestment and service expansions will be announced when the mental healthtaskforce report is published in the next few weeks.