Before becoming an MP, I worked for 22 years in the NHS, including a role as a mental health nurse. Working there I saw how deep rooted the issues are within our mental health system. Children as young as nine were self-harming and people were taking their lives whilst waiting for their diagnosis or treatment. It is vital that we begin to take steps to improve mental health services to create parity of esteem between mental and physical health to tackle a vast range of societal issues.
The recent report published by Lord Darzi was incredibly damning regarding the subject of mental health, highlighting the normalisation of long waiting times for mental health services and lack of urgency with which mental illnesses have been treated over the last 14 years. The vast gap between physical and mental health resources and funding in the NHS, highlighted in the independent report is also deeply troubling, however not surprising. I believe it is vital that we take on board the findings that Lord Darzi has made clear in his report and work towards actioning many of his recommendations.
The high occupancy rate of beds when patients do end up in hospitals is also deeply concerning. The Royal College of Psychiatrists recommends that the maximum occupancy rate should be no higher than 85%. According to NHS statistics, in Kent and Medway, where my constituency of Ashford sits, between April and June of the 444 beds for mental health patients, the average occupancy rate was 91.7%. Across England, the national average was 89.9%. Over the same period.
Like many areas of our NHS, with mental health services, reform will be central to fixing it. Therefore, we need to be open to alternative strategies. Whether that be using preventative measures to stop causes of mental health issues further on in life or ensuring that we develop policies that can help promote better mental health. We can see new areas of government policy that there are promising steps in that direction – such as expanding the current smoking ban and banning junk-food advertising before the watershed. Tackling mental issues amongst young people in society should be one of our key missions for government. If we can get mental health specialists in schools, we can look at treating conditions at the earliest possible stages, which is why I welcome Labour’s manifesto commitment to put a mental health professional into every school.
Although the recruitment of an extra 8,500 mental health professionals by this government will be a massive boost, we also need to ensure we retain them in the long term. In the year to September last year, there was a 19% turnover in the mental health workforce. These are experienced healthcare professionals. As a result, agency staff or new recruits are relied on to fill the gap. They often end up working in unfamiliar environments with new patients. This can have a negative impact on patient care and lead to worsening staff morale.
Ensuring that staff are placed effectively is also a necessary step towards both treating and preventing mental illnesses. However, for too long we have relied on hospital emergency rooms to treat primary signs of mental health issues.
One new revelation I am sure will be welcomed across the mental health sector will be the new Mental Health Act, which was mentioned in the King’s Speech in July. This will take huge steps towards modernising our currently outdated Mental Health Act (1983), which heavily discriminates against people from minority backgrounds and people with learning difficulties. It is important that we bring in new legislation to give patients greater autonomy with their treatment, and not use detainment as the first resort.
We also need to recognise the hugely detrimental effects that negligence towards mental health has had on our workforce and as a result our economy. Our NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) population is around 850,000, according to the ONS, and has been steadily growing since the pandemic. A study by the School-Home Support charity found that around 42% of NEET young people experienced stress/anxiety, 29% experienced depression, and 8% self-harmed. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has correctly identified the link between those who are either long-term unemployed or NEET and suffer from mental ill health.
We need to re-think our approach to mental health if we are to move forward in so many areas as a society. It is necessary to work towards reaching the parity of esteem that we have striven for over decades for, creating equity between mental and physical health in the NHS and creating a culture an emphasis on protecting and preventing people from mental health issues.
