NHS England board must now reaffirm their pledge on mental health treatment
By Helen Whately (Conservative), Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat) and Luciana Berger (Labour) in The Guardian
Originally published by South Lincolnshire Liberal Democrats
The MPs Helen Whately (Conservative), Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat) and Luciana Berger (Labour) call on the health service not to abandon its promise
Mental health care is not a luxury. For too long it has been the "Cinderella service", always forgotten when resources are being handed out and the first to be cut when times are hard. In recent years, with cross-party momentum behind it, finally mental health is beginning to get the attention it deserves.
Earlier this month Simon Stevens suggested the promised expansion of mental health care might be under threat if there was no new money for the NHS. Following the budget, we call on him to give a guarantee to the million additional people promised mental health treatment that they will not be abandoned. We are around two years into a five-year plan for mental health and it is vital that work continues. You would not stop helping a patient midway through their treatment and you must not stop the process of improving mental health care just because other parts of the NHS are under pressure.
As politicians from across the political spectrum, we call on the NHS England board to use Thursday's meeting to reaffirm their commitment to people with mental health problems.
- Helen Whately MP
Conservative; chair of the all-party parliamentary group on mental health
Norman Lamb MP
Liberal Democrat; chair of the science and technology committee and former minister with responsibility for mental health
Luciana Berger MP
Labour; president of the Labour Campaign for Mental Health
Your report says that the health secretary plans to overhaul NHS staff pay "including how much they receive for working antisocial shifts" (Hunt provokes another row over NHS pay, 29 November). Could I suggest that the shifts are unsocial and it is Jeremy Hunt's continued attacks on the NHS that are antisocial?
Roy Grimwood
Market Drayton, Shropshire
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