Mental Health at the Polls: What are the current parties promising for the 2024 General Election?
Be Free Campaign
A mental health charity, improving mental health outcomes and access to health resources
Written by Elvi Vijo for the Be Free Campaign
As the UK approaches a crucial General Election, voters are busy scrutinising party policies and
rushing to polls to cast their vote.
One in four adults experience at least one diagnosable mental health problem in any given year (1). As of November 2023, over 1.86 million people were in contact with mental health services (2) over a 35% rise, compared to November 2019. (3) Therefore a need for a comprehensive and compassionate approach to this issue cannot be denied.
This blog aims to provide a detailed overview of the mental health policies advertised by each running party.
Access to Mental Health Services
As of March 2024, over 250,000 children and young people were still waiting for mental health support after being referred to CAMHS in 2022-2023. (4) Increased waiting times lead to a delay in support which could potentially worsen wellbeing. Outlined below are the parties policies regarding improving access to mental health services:
Labour:
? Intend to give mental health parity with physical health
? Reduce waiting times for services by recruiting 8,500 new staff
The Liberal Democrats:
? Create a statutory, independent Mental Health Commissioner to represent patients, their families and carers
? End out-of-area mental health placements by increasing capacity and coordination between services
? Extend young people’s mental health services up to the age of 25 to allow for a smoother transition to adult services
? Introduce a one hour target when handing over people suffering from mental health crises from the police to mental health services
? Improve suicide prevention training for frontline NHS staff
The Conservatives:
? Increase the planned expansion of NHS Talking Therapies by 50%, increasing the support available to those who need it.
? Boost the capacity of Individual Placement and Support for Severe Mental Illness by 140,000 places.
? Pass new legislation to provide better treatment and support for those with severe mental health needs.
The Green Party
? Intend to give mental health parity with physical health
? Ensure that access to evidence-based mental health therapies is given within 28 days.
Prevention & Early Intervention: Mental Health in Education
It is estimated that around 75% of mental disorders emerge by the age of 24.5 Therefore, prevention and early intervention, particularly in schools and colleges, are pivotal in reducing ill mental health.
Outlined below are the parties policies regarding mental health support in education:
The Conservatives:
? Expand the coverage of mental health support teams to 100% in schools and colleges in England by 2030.
? Open support hubs for young people offering mental health support, in every local community.
Labour:
? Plan to provide access to a dedicated mental health professional in every school
? Open support hubs for young people offering mental health support, in every local community
? Use their ‘Young Futures Programme’ to identify young people drawn to violence to help tackle crime.
The Liberal Democrats:
? Plan to provide access to a dedicated mental health professional in every school
? Introduce regular mental health check-ups at key points in people’s lives when they are most vulnerable to ill mental health.
The Green Party
? Plan to provide access to a dedicated mental health professional in every school
Plaid Cymru
? Invest in mental health support available in schools
? Ensure that neurodivergent children and young people are given support as soon as possible
The Reform Party
? Launch an enquiry into the relationship between social media and mental health
Perinatal Mental Health: Support for Families
Around 1 in 5 women will develop mental health issues when they are pregnant or in the first year after their baby is born (6). Therefore, support for mothers is crucial.
Outlined below are the parties policies regarding improving perinatal wellbeing:
The Liberal Democrats:
? Transform perinatal mental health support services for those who are pregnant, new mothers and those who have experienced miscarriage or stillbirth
The Conservatives:
? Deliver a Family Hub in every local authority in England, offering support with breastfeeding, antenatal care and early learning intervention
? Invest in improving access to mental health services for new mums, and support women with birth injuries.
SNP
? Increase paid maternity leave to one year, with the additional 12 weeks to be the minimum taken by the father to increase shared parental leave
Unemployment & Mental Health
Unemployment and mental health have a complex relationship. Unemployment can lead to a decline in mental wellbeing. Similarly, poor mental health can make it more difficult to find and retain employment (7).
Outlined below are the parties policies addressing unemployment:
The Green Party
? Reform the Personal Independence Payments (PIP) assessment
? Ensure that those with disabilities receive the support they need at work, alongside proper pay and conditions
Labour:
? Replace the Work Capability Assessment, working with local areas to create plans to support those with disabilities to access work
? Utilise existing funding to establish a youth guarantee of access to training, an apprenticeship, or support to find work for all 18-21 year olds
? Create a flexible Growth and Skills Levy, with Skills England ensuring qualifications offer value for money
? Ban exploitative zero-hour contracts
The Conservatives:
? Stepwise approach to mental health provision whereby the severity of mental health is assessed and support, in the form of treatment, services or monthly cash payments, is allocated accordingly
? Change the current benefits system, with a more ‘objective’ Personal Independence Payments (PIP) assessment, so that people with moderate mental health issues are able to work with tailored support
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The Liberal Democrats:
? Create a new Lifelong Skills Grants, giving adults ￡5,000 (later increased to ￡10,000) to spend on education and training throughout their lives
? Tackle the disability employment gap by implementing a targeted strategy to support those with disabilities to gain access to work
? Commit to giving employees the right to request a fixed-hours contract after 12 months for ‘zero hours’.
? Make prescriptions free for those with chronic mental health conditions
The Reform Party
? Support up to 2 million people back to work with a particular focus on 16-34 year olds
SNP
? Ban exploitative zero hour contracts
Access to nature
Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing (8).
Outlined below are the parties' policies in increasing access to green spaces:
The Conservatives:
? Ensure that nature is accessible within a 15 minute walk from every home
The Liberal Democrats
? Increase the amount of accessible green space available
Supporting the Elderly
As our population continues to age, support for the elderly is vital.
Outlined below are the parties' policies in supporting the mental well-being of the elderly:
Labour:
? Guarantees the rights of those in residential care to be able to see their families
The Liberal Democrats:
? Establish a Commissioner for Older People and Ageing
The Mental Health Act
The Mental Health Act (1983) is the main piece of legislation that covers the assessment, treatment and rights of people with a mental health disorder.
Outlined below are the parties policies regarding the Mental Health Act
Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru
? Aim to reform the Mental Health Act to give patients more autonomy over treatment.
Each party offers a unique approach to addressing mental health within the UK. With the election today, it is important we examine each manifesto closely to make an informed decision.
Time to head to the polls!
Manifestos
Please find links to all the manifestos mentioned below:
Where can I vote?
Please find your nearest polling station here:
References
1 NHS England. Adult and older adult mental health [Internet]. NHS England. 2019. Available from:
2 Mental Health Services Monthly Statistics, Performance November 2023 [Internet]. NHS Digital.
services-monthly-statistics/performance-november-2023
3 Mental Health Services Monthly Statistics Final November, Provisional December 2019 [Internet].
NHS Digital. Available from: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/
mental-health-services-monthly-statistics/final-november-provisional-december-2019
4 Children's Commissioner. Over a quarter of a million children still waiting for mental health support
[Internet]. Children’s Commissioner for England. 2024. Available from:
for-mental-health-support/
5 Nearly 500,000 more people known to be in contact with mental health services compared to four
years ago [Internet]. www.rcpsych.ac.uk. [cited 2024 Jul 3]. Available from:
more-people-known-to-be-in-contact-with-mental-health-services-compared-to-four-years-
ago#:~:text=11%20January%202024&text=The%20number%20of%20people%20in
6 Mental health problems after the birth [Internet]. NHS inform. 2023. Available from:
mental-health-issues-after-the-birth/
spotlights/employment-and-income-spotlight
8 White MP, Alcock I, Grellier J, Wheeler BW, Hartig T, Warber SL, et al. Spending at least 120 minutes
a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing. Scientific Reports [Internet]. 2019 Jun
13;9(1). Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-44097-3