Yet mental health charities and campaigners have become used to empty promises from people in power, and are not expecting to be surprised when Chancellor Rishi Sunak makes his Spring Statement on Wednesday – they know that all eyes will be on the cost of living crisis. But even before this, insiders say that it has been hard to get the Government to take the issue too seriously. Nadine Dorries, the mental health minister during lockdowns, even went as far as to say that lockdown improved the wellbeing of many people. Her successor, Gillian Keegan, has had the huge issue of social care folded into her brief, meaning that mental health has become something of an afterthought.
All of this makes bleak reading. Campaigners are desperate to strike a balance: it is just as essential to encourage people to ask for help as it is to highlight the lack of it. But what can be done? A coalition of mental health charities including Mind, Young Minds and the Children’s Society, is calling for the Government to fund a network of support hubs for children across the country. Some already exist, in London and Bristol, but much more is needed to ensure that young people can access early support. They are asking people to write to their local MP on the issue and to spread the message on social media with the #fundthehubs hashtag.
What if you are reading this while experiencing a mental health crisis? I think it is really important to point out that services do exist, and they are there to help. There is a network of NHS mental health crisis lines in each area, and you can self-refer online for counselling without having to go to your GP. You can find all the details for this by heading to nhs.uk/mental-health. The more people do this, the more those in power know the scale of what is needed in terms of funding.
Heaps of charity helplines are easily accessed through Mind, and the charity runs a network of local Mind organisations that provide support in many areas. Then there is Shout, a venture that provides 24/7 crisis text support from trained volunteers. You can access it by texting SHOUT to 85258. Finally, I can’t write about mental health support services without mentioning Mental Health Mates, a peer support network that organises walks around the country for those with mental illness who want to connect with others. You can find your nearest walk – or even set one up – at mentalhealthmates.co.uk.
I would love to hear your experiences of accessing mental health support through the NHS – the good, the bad, and everything in between. Because the more we talk about mental health, the higher the chances of the Government actually starting to walk the walk on it.
