Mental health is too important to be left to chance
Centre for Mental Health
Speaking up for social justice in mental health. | www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk
Dear friend,
Welcome to our first newsletter of 2025. It’s a big year ahead for Centre for Mental Health as we mark 40 years of striving for mental health equality and social justice.
This month our chair of trustees, Dame Sue Bailey, retired from the board and became our first President, and Michael Morley became our new chair. Both are proud champions of mental health equality and I’m so grateful to them both for their unstinting support for our work.
In the year ahead we’re going to be leading the way in challenging for better mental health for all, and we want you to be a part of that. If you’re in a local council, our Mentally Healthier Councils Network is there for you. If you’re in the NHS we can help you to boost mental health support in your local area. And our research can help you plan for a mentally healthier future with the latest intelligence, ideas and insights.
Right now, we’re focused on the Mental Health Bill in the UK Parliament and we’re reviewing evidence about investment priorities for both the 10-year health plan and the next spending review. We know that there’s a lot to be done to turn around rising levels of mental distress and to improve mental health services. In our 40th year, we will do all we can to make a positive difference.
NHS guidance drops some key mental health ambitions
The new NHS Planning Guidance recognises the importance of improving mental health care but provides little sign of the necessary investment or transformation to meet rising levels of need.
Some key ambitions from previous years have been dropped, including ensuring more people with a severe mental illness get an annual physical health check, and a requirement to implement the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework. These are both at the heart of mental health equality; vital to reducing the life expectancy gap faced by people with a mental illness and addressing racial injustice.
We are deeply disappointed that waiting lists for elective care have been given priority over those for mental health care. While it’s essential to get hospital waiting times down, mental health waiting lists are just as important. Placing them on a lower footing is unjust at a time when more than a million people are waiting for mental health care in England.
Mental Health Bill
The Mental Health Bill is currently being discussed in the House of Lords. It could be a big step forward for mental health - but it needs to include four key amendments.
For years, we've been campaigning for reform to the Mental Health Act, to limit the use of coercion and uproot the racial injustice which leads people from racialised communities to be disproportionately detained and placed on Community Treatment Orders.
We're working hard alongside parliamentarians and partners to ensure that the Mental Health Bill goes far enough to make a real difference in promoting people’s rights, reducing inequalities, and improving mental health outcomes for all.
Mentally Healthier Councils Network
Through the Mentally Healthier Councils Network, we're supporting local authorities across the country to champion mental health. If you work for local government, join the Network for access to resources, training and other opportunities to improve mental health in your community.
The Network has a great webinar coming up sharing insights from Greater Manchester, and there’s a chance for you to get involved in shaping the Mentally Healthier Council accreditation process and a report on top council policies and interventions to support better mental health.
Want to deliver real change for mental health in 2025?
We can work with you to understand mental health needs and explore how you can create lasting impact through evidence-based policies. Our evaluations and peer-led research can help you address mental health inequalities and provide better support for people with mental health problems.
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If you’ve enjoyed reading this newsletter, please consider making a donation towards our work. We can’t continue the fight for equality in mental health without your support.
MSc, Psychotherapist and counselor (Freelance), UKCP accredited
3 周Without proper staffing,looking after your own mental health nurses and doctors who are overworked and exhausted you won't change anything!
Health and Social Care
3 周And far too important to not fully consult, involve, and utilise the contributions of communities and the diverse range of people within them.