No one can deny we have come a long way in this country towards banishing the myths, misunderstandings, and stigma surrounding mental illness. As a society, we are more open to telling our stories, talking things through, seeking therapy and, crucially, supporting friends, family or even colleagues to do the same when they feel unable to support themselves.
Rising Demand for Mental Health Services
Combined with changes in our everyday lives, like the amount of time we all now spend on screens and social media, we are seeing a rise in the numbers of people in need of mental health services. The NHS has struggled to keep up. The result is children waiting not weeks or months, but years, for mental health treatment. In his speech to Labour Party conference 2021, Keir Starmer called it one of the urgent needs of our time.
Government Action and Investment
In our manifesto, we committed to recruiting an additional 8,500 mental health workers by the end of the Parliament, to meet rising demand. We have delivered on that promise, and we have done so three years early. That is 8,500 more therapists, psychiatrists, and mental health nurses now working in our NHS and already making a difference. They are delivering more care, reaching patients earlier, and caring for them closer to home.
Recognising the sharp rise in children and young people who have been afflicted with mental illness, and the truism that prevention is better than cure, we also committed to putting mental health support in every school in the country. Because, as with all health conditions, early support to form healthy habits can last a lifetime. Today, an additional 900,000 children and young people are benefitting from our action to roll out that support to schools and colleges. This and the extra staff we have recruited are funded by record investment this government has made in mental health services – an extra £1.2 billion since the general election.
Honesty About Unknown Causes
We also have to be honest with the public. It is not always politicians' favourite answer, but the honest truth is that we do not fully know what is driving the rising demand for mental health services or how best to meet it. So alongside the extra funding we are putting in, we have launched an independent review into mental health, as well as ADHD and autism. This will identify how government, the health system and wider public services can best respond to increasing demand for support. Different people will need different forms and levels of support. This is about making sure we can provide everyone with the right support, at the right time, in the right place for them.
NHS Recovery and Political Context
It is the latest green shoot of the NHS's recovery. Waiting lists are the lowest for three years, A&E waits are the best for five years, and ambulances are arriving faster than any point for half a decade. Last year, patient dissatisfaction saw its biggest drop since 1998 – the last time a new Labour government had to clean up the mess left behind by the Conservatives. That is in large part because of the extra investment we are putting into the NHS. Investment that every other political party opposed.
We are not just rebuilding the NHS, but remaking the case for universal healthcare, owned by all of us, there for all of us, so that when we fall ill, we never have to worry about the bill. That idea which has survived 78 years is now under attack like never before. Kemi Badenoch has said we need a national conversation about charging for healthcare. Nigel Farage wants to replace the NHS with an insurance-based system. They would check your pockets before your pulse, and ask for your credit card before your care. That might be alright for those who can afford it, but it would abandon those who cannot. The NHS's recovery and its future are now contested like never before. The health service is on the ballot in elections across our country next week. If you want to vote for better mental health services, if you want to vote for the NHS, vote Labour.
