No Health Without Mental Health

The Department of Health has published its strategy for mental health,

• No health without mental health: a cross-government mental health outcomes strategy for people of all ages

The Government states:
“This strategy sets out six shared objectives to improve the mental health and well-being of the nation, and to improve outcomes for people with mental health problems through high quality services. It supports the Government's aim of achieving parity of esteem between physical and mental health. The interconnections between mental health, housing, employment and the criminal justice system are stressed.”

It  has been accompanied by a number of other documents, including:

• Delivering better mental health outcomes for people of all ages
  
  
• The economic case for improving efficiency and quality in mental health
  
  
• Talking therapies: a four year plan of action

There is also an accompanying leaflet “A call to action”, signed by many of the most important mental health charities and organisations.

The Government has pledged £400 million of new money to support implementation of the strategy. However, David Richards, professor of mental health services research at the University of Exeter, has been sacked by the Government for claiming in the Guardian that the money was not additional. Instead of being spent on training therapists, it could end up used to plug other gaps in the NHS. See the article here.

You can visit the Department of Health website here.

The strategy has received wide support.
See, for instance,

Centre for Mental Health welcomes government's Mental Health Strategy

Royal College of Psychiatrists - response to new Mental Health Strategy

Mind responds to Government's new Mental Health Strategy