Lords right to say policymaking for mental health should take the long-term approach

Responding the Lords COVID-19 Committee report, ‘Living in a Covid World: a Long-term Approach to Resilience and Wellbeing', Sean Duggan chief executive of the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health network said:

“The impact the pandemic has had on the mental health of people across the country has been significant and the demand on services – already exceeding capacity before COVID-19 hit – has spiralled in the intervening two years.

“This report rightly emphasises the need for long-term approaches to policymaking in mental health.  It also stresses the importance of ensuring those communities that experience both mental and physical health inequalities are actively engaged in creating systems that work for them.

“This is particularly critical in relation to mental health policy where those from black and minority ethnic communities routinely face worse access, experience and outcomes of care.

“We fully support the Committee’s recommendation that the government now commit to working with service providers to truly understand demand and capacity in mental health service provision in the long term, and to providing the additional funding needed to fill the shortfall.

“The government must also now urgently outline a specific mental health recovery plan to mirror what has already been outlined to tackle the elective care backlog.”

In April 2021, our Mental Health Network gave oral evidence to the Committee on this issue.