NHS England board must now reaffirm their pledge on mental health treatment | Letters

The MPs Helen Whately (Conservative), Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat) and Luciana Berger (Labour) call on the health service not to abandon its promise

Mental health care is not a luxury. For too long it has been the “Cinderella service”, always forgotten when resources are being handed out and the first to be cut when times are hard. In recent years, with cross-party momentum behind it, finally mental health is beginning to get the attention it deserves.

Earlier this month Simon Stevens suggested the promised expansion of mental health care might be under threat if there was no new money for the NHS. Following the budget, we call on him to give a guarantee to the million additional people promised mental health treatment that they will not be abandoned. We are around two years into a five-year plan for mental health and it is vital that work continues. You would not stop helping a patient midway through their treatment and you must not stop the process of improving mental health care just because other parts of the NHS are under pressure.

Continue reading... November 30, 2017 at 12:47AM