All ministers must make mental health their business

With less than two weeks to the spending review and the latest NHS data showing a record number of people seeking mental health treatment, it is time our leaders put sufficient investment behind their warm words about mental health.

A £500m injection last winter was welcome as the pandemic peaked and the nation’s mental health further plummeted, but the key metrics show people are still reeling from what has been one of the most difficult periods in recent history, with young people and those severely affected by mental illness struggling most.

Yet there is no commitment from government to increase the NHS mental health funding secured pre-pandemic. The need is greatest for overstretched services for under 18s. Funding a network of early support hubs for young people’s mental health is also vital. And with ever increasing numbers of people reaching mental health crisis, the government must put money into its plans to reform the Mental Health Act, to make them a reality.

Mental health affects each area of daily life, which is why each government department should be working on a fully-resourced cross-government plan, with clear targets: from public health to social care, from education to benefits, and from housing to health. We must see all ministers making mental health their business.

Simon Blake,

Chief executive of Mental Health First Aid England

Dr Adrian James

President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists

Sarah Hughes

Chief executive of the Centre for Mental Health

Michael Samuel

Chair of trustees, Anna Freud Centre

Mark Winstanley

Chief executive of Rethink Mental Illness

Kathy Roberts

Chief executive of Association of Mental Health Providers

Julie Bentley

Chief executive of Samaritans

Paula Ojok

Chief executive of Helplines Partnership

Emma Thomas

Chief executive of YoungMinds

Poppy Jaman

Chief executive of City Mental Health Alliance

Chris Martin

Chief executive of The Mix

Mark Rowland

Chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation

Paul Farmer

Chief executive of Mind

Catherine Roche

Chief executive of Place2Be

Akiko Hart

Chief executive of the National Survivor User Network

Rosie Tressler

Chief executive of Student Minds

Paul Farmer is right that mental health is in urgent need of support from the government. The coronavirus pandemic has taken a terrible toll on people’s mental health. Many people have endured isolation, loneliness, desperation and unmitigated anguish over the loss of their dear ones.

There is no health without mental health. We must collectively act to redress the glaring inequalities exposed by the pandemic and ensure affordable, accessible and quality mental healthcare for all people, irrespective of their gender identity, sexual orientation, social affiliation, colour or ethnicity.

Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob

London

The killing of Sir David Amess was heinous and the demands for increased MP protection are entirely justified.

However, in the light of the government’s blatant moves to undermine the democratic process, the media rush to describe the murder as an “assault on democracy” distracts from the real and calculated assault on democracy by the government itself.

Andrew McLauchlin

Stratford upon Avon

I share the Queen’s irritation at world leaders who “talk but don’t do” when it comes to tackling the climate crisis. Our relationship with plastic is a major contributor to this crisis but very little has been done about it, apart from a brief flirtation with bioplastics. However, this relationship hasn’t worked out because conventional bioplastics are not truly biodegradable and many of them are still partially petroleum-based.

Not enough effort is being made to switch to new types of bioplastics that are derived entirely from natural feedstocks and can degrade naturally in the environment. These natural feedstock-based bioplastics behave similarly to everyday plastics and their physical, mechanical and chemical properties can be tuned for a variety of applications such as single-use packaging, disposable cups or even medical syringes.

It’s safe to say that if we don’t switch to these truly sustainable alternatives soon, the damage to the environment will become irreversible. With solutions already out there, why are we still talking rather than doing? It’s time to break up with plastics while there are still plenty of other fish in the sea.

Duncan Clark

London

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Surely, the fact that patients are now waiting two hours for a bed in an A&E unit is a warning of the long winter ahead.

It should act as a reminder to the health secretary to speed up the rollout of the booster jab for our most vulnerable. After all, every life is precious and nobody wants to see any more preventable deaths from this horrible pandemic.

So please act, health secretary, and show your care and compassion before it’s too late.

Geoffrey Brooking

Hampshire