Mental illness costs England £300bn a year
27/03/2024 The cost of mental ill health in England was £300bn in 2022, according to new research. |
Council criticised after teacher harassed for Muhammad cartoon
25/03/2024 Kirklees Council demonstrated a ‘lack of consideration’ towards a teacher who faced harassment for showing a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad, advisor says. |
Twenty-four mental health hubs announced
28/02/2024 Twenty-four early support hubs are set to be rolled out in local communities across the country to provide mental health support for young people. |
Scotland’s public services ‘crumbling’
19/02/2024 Scots have observed worsening poverty and public services are failing to address social problem, according to a new report. |
Warning over suicide prevention fund end
19/02/2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) is urging the Government to extend funding for suicide prevention projects in the Spring Budget. |
Emergency mental healthcare referrals for children up 50%
07/02/2024 Psychiatrists call for more support for young people as an analysis reveals the number of children referred for emergency mental healthcare has increased 50%. |
North Northants fined £1,500 after girl misses school
26/01/2024 The leader of North Northamptonshire Council has apologised to the family of a girl who missed part of her education because of her health. |
New £1.5m package to support school leaders launched
15/01/2024 The Government has announced a new £1.5m package to help support the mental health and wellbeing of school and college leaders. |
Government falling 'woefully short' on supported housing
10/11/2023 Vulnerable people are increasingly provided with poor quality supported housing and suffer ‘significant, detrimental’ impacts due to inadequate support, a report has found. |
Barriers to support impacting carers’ mental health
02/11/2023 Unpaid carers are not receiving adequate support from statutory services and their mental health is suffering as a result, Carers UK has found. |
Councils 'vital' to social prescribing success
09/10/2023 Children’s charity Barnardo’s has said local authorities are ‘vital’ to the success of social prescribing as it called for a national strategy. |
Care workers in Wales feel undervalued, poll reveals
05/10/2023 Social care workers in Wales feel undervalued by the public and underpaid for the work they do, a new survey has revealed. |
Mental health services ‘under increasing pressure’
26/09/2023 Council leaders have called for long term funding for mental health services in response to a study that warns the prevalence of depression is set to increase. |
Call for national mental health support team rollout
21/09/2023 A top children’s services director has called for the ‘very highly regarded’ mental health support teams (MHST) model to be rolled out across the country. |
Council apologises after man with dementia left unsupported
08/09/2023 Calderdale Council has apologised after a man with a rapidly progressing form of dementia was left in unsuitable hotel accommodation for too long. |
Council hiring mental health officer following high suicide rates
31/08/2023 Essex County Council is hiring a public mental health and suicide prevention officer with an advertised salary of up to £37,357. |
Hundreds of Valium prescriptions to be reviewed
23/08/2023 Hundreds of vulnerable people with drug and alcohol dependencies who have been prescribed Valium are set to have their cases reviewed following investigation. |
Sandwell Council fails resident with depression
09/08/2023 Sandwell Council failed to consider a resident’s vulnerabilities during an anti-social behaviour case despite multiple reminders, Housing Ombudsman has found. |
Health backing for police withdrawal delay
08/08/2023 Senior healthcare figures have backed councils’ demand to delay police withdrawal from non-urgent mental health callouts. |
Councils chosen for family-focussed social care trials
27/07/2023 The Government has announced the councils that will test two new children’s social care programmes, which aim to support families through early help. |
LGA: police mental health withdrawal too quick
26/07/2023 Council chiefs have raised concerns that plans for police to stop attending mental health incidents are ‘being rolled out too quickly’. |
Holyrood announces £3.2m fund to tackle loneliness
25/07/2023 More than 50 projects that are tackling social isolation and loneliness in Scotland have received a share of a new multi-million-pound fund. |
Disadvantaged women in North East dying early
10/07/2023 Disadvantaged women in the North East are dying prematurely as public services are failing to meet their needs, according to a new report. |
More councillors feel at risk of abuse
06/07/2023 The number of local councillors who have reported feeling at risk in their role due to abuse and intimidation has increased in the last year, LGA finds. |
Mental health care teams to support homeless launched
12/06/2023 Fourteen towns with high rates of homelessness are set to benefit from new NHS mental health care teams, NHS England today announced. |
MPs back campaign to ban handcuffing children in care
05/06/2023 Several MPs are backing a campaign to scrap legislation that allows children in care to be handcuffed when they are transported between premises. |
Council criticised after safeguarding failure
02/06/2023 Tandridge DC failed in its duties towards a resident with poor mental health under the Equality Act and its own safeguarding policy, ombudsman finds. |
Making communities dementia friendly
01/06/2023 To ensure our communities are inclusive, it is important that all places are dementia friendly, writes Ailidh Aikman, Dementia Services Development Centre. |
Councils 'not ready' for Met's mental health withdrawal
30/05/2023 Councils are not ready for the consequences of the Metropolitan Police Services’ decision to withdraw from non-emergency mental health callouts, experts warn. |
Opportunities missed to help man who died of starvation
15/05/2023 A man with severe mental health problems died alone weighing four and a half stone after opportunities to help him were missed, a review of the case found. |
Many council areas face ‘nature access gap’, study reveals
02/05/2023 In a third of local authority areas more than 70% of households don’t have access to nature within a 15-minute walk, new research finds. |
Gambling reforms ‘vague’, public health directors say
27/04/2023 The Government’s gambling reforms are ‘vague’ and ‘disappointing’, according to the representative body for directors of public health. |
‘Shocking’ number of children in care far from home
25/04/2023 A ‘shocking’ number of children are being moved into care far from their communities, according to a campaigning charity. |
Legal threat forces Devon CC to halt care cuts
17/04/2023 Devon County Council will halt its plans to cut adult day and respite services after the mental health charity Mencap threatened to take legal action. |
Health of over 2.5m young people affected by poor housing
17/04/2023 Many young people are suffering physically and mentally because of poor quality housing, according to poverty campaigners. |
Children in youth custody face ‘tension and paranoia’
29/03/2023 Children as young as 10 in youth custody are facing ‘palpable tension and paranoia’, according to an official report. |
How neurodiversity relates to planning and development
14/03/2023 James Sackley of Boyer argues that it is important to consider neurodiversity during the planning process. |
Waiting times for children’s mental health services on the rise
08/03/2023 Average waiting times between children being referred to mental health services and starting treatment are increasing for the first time in years, data shows. |
Hull City Council asks residents if they are happy
06/03/2023 Hull City Council has launched a survey of residents to find out if they are happy. |
Family hubs receive £300m boost
09/02/2023 Thousands of parents and children are set to benefit from a £300m investment in family hubs across England, the Government today announced. |
Mental health services need funding ‘clarity’
09/02/2023 Local authority leaders have called for ‘clarity’ over funding for mental health services as demand outstrips the level of funds available. |
How councils can support children's mental health
06/02/2023 To mark Children’s Mental Health Week, Dr Anna Harris of Coram looks at how councils can support wellbeing and help mental health services. |
Woman with schizophrenia lay dead in council flat for four years
27/01/2023 Surrey County Council has committed to taking a full part in the inquest into a woman with schizophrenia who was found dead in her flat after four years. |
Mental health emergency services to receive £150m
23/01/2023 Patients experiencing a mental health emergency will soon be able to benefit from 150 new facilities dedicated to supporting mental health urgent care. |
Roll-out of school mental health support teams could save £1.8bn
16/01/2023 The urgent roll-out of Mental Health Support Teams across schools in England could provide a ‘significant’ cost saving for the public sector, charity says. |
Social prescribing support receives £3.6m boost
23/12/2022 More than £3.6m of Government funding has been awarded to the National Academy of Social Prescribing to support mental health and wellbeing. |
Poor health 'undermining UK economy' think tank warns
08/12/2022 Mental health problems are the most common reason for people being unable to work new research has revealed. |
Children from violent homes to receive mental health support
05/12/2022 Children who have been affected by abuse are set to get automatic access to mental health services regardless of whether they were present during violence. |
Council chiefs call for ‘sustainable’ mental health funding
02/12/2022 Local council leaders have called for long term funding to help support mental health services as health leaders warn these services are ‘being left to fail’. |
Charity blasts ‘failing’ mental health system
30/11/2022 A charity has criticised what it describes as a ‘failing’ mental health system as figures show that one in six children are struggling. |
Children’s health experts warn of pandemic’s ‘lasting impact’
23/11/2022 The majority of professionals say they are seeing an ongoing negative impact on babies’ and young children’s social skills due to the COVID pandemic. |
Record number of children seeking help from councils for mental health problems
14/11/2022 The number of children with mental health problems being seen by social workers has reached record levels, new analysis has revealed. |
Council apologises after teenage suicide
29/09/2022 West Sussex County Council has apologised for failing to provide the right level of support to a teenage boy who has died after a suicide attempt. |
Support for county lines victims gets £5m boost
26/09/2022 Services aimed at supporting victims of county lines gangs received a multi-million-pound bump over the weekend. |
Glasgow council extends paid leave to cover miscarriages
02/09/2022 Glasgow City Council employees who suffer a miscarriage will now get paid leave, the local authority has announced. |
Funding for mental health support under threat
31/08/2022 Local authorities are being forced to divert early intervention mental health funding towards services under more immediate pressure, council chiefs warn. |
Councils receive £6m supported housing boost
04/08/2022 Four local authorities have been given a £6m boost to help support vulnerable tenants living in supported housing. |
‘Parallel pandemic’ of mental ill health cost North £2bn
25/07/2022 The number of mental ill health cases in the North of England were much higher during the pandemic than in any other part of the country and cost £2bn. |
One in five children worried about mental health
07/07/2022 The Children’s Commissioner has unveiled six ambitions for supporting children as one in five children say that they are worried about their mental health. |
Seven in 10 councillors face abuse, survey reveals
30/06/2022 Council leaders are calling for a change in legislation to allow councillors to withhold their personal addresses as evidence of abuse and intimidation grows. |
Javid announces £150m for mental health crisis support
27/06/2022 A multi-million-pound investment will help people experiencing a mental health emergency get access to more crisis houses and safe havens, Government says. |
Over 300,000 people living with undiagnosed dementia
17/05/2022 Improving early diagnosis for the hundreds of thousands of people with dementia could lead to over £3bn in savings through lower carer costs, report says. |
Loneliness-related mental health problems impact vulnerable communities
16/05/2022 Disparities in local funding mean that vulnerable citizens are lacking access to social resources that might provide mental health support, study reveals. |
Mental health support in schools to get £7m boost
12/05/2022 The Department for Education today announced a further £7m for schools and colleges to train a senior mental health lead. |
Queen’s Speech: Mental health laws to be overhauled
10/05/2022 Government will reform mental health laws to make it harder to detain people and to stop the disproportionate use of the laws against BAME communities. |
Mental health impacted by decline in green space
05/05/2022 Green space provision around housing developments has dramatically declined over the last century with negative consequences for mental health, research finds. |
Experts warn of spike in COVID-related mental health problems
25/04/2022 Adults are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of the pandemic on their mental health as one third say their mental health has got worse. |
Call for evidence on new 10-year mental health plan
12/04/2022 A call for evidence to inform a new 10-year mental health plan has been launched today by the Government. |
New guidance to help tackle 'traumatic' mistakes in aftercare of mental health in-patients
11/04/2022 New guidance to help prevent councils and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) from making common mistakes in the aftercare of mental health in-patients has been published. |
Councils need anti-hoarding teams, researchers say
21/03/2022 Local authority housing officers should be given better training or even specialist anti-hoarding teams to deal with hoarders, researchers say. |
Government launches Liberty Protection Safeguards consultation
18/03/2022 Government has launched a consultation on Liberty Protection Safeguards to ensure the freedom of people who may need decision-making assistance is protected. |
Around 50% of children not ready to start school
10/03/2022 Almost half of all children are not ready to start school, a national survey has revealed. |
Council chiefs call for powers to crackdown on gambling
21/02/2022 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to toughen up regulations on the gambling industry to help protect vulnerable people. |
DfE welcomes improvements in children’s well-being
08/02/2022 Children’s well-being in 2021 saw improvements when compared to the year before, but research suggests there was a decline over the decade before the pandemic. |
Commissioner reports rise in children ‘struggling’ with mental health issues
07/02/2022 More children are struggling with their mental health due to the impact of the pandemic, the Children’s Commission has warned. |
Social workers report 'surge' in children with mental health needs
04/02/2022 The number of children being assessed by social workers as having a mental health need has increased by a quarter as a result of the pandemic, social workers have warned. |
Demand for mental health treatment pushing NHS to ‘breaking point’
09/12/2021 MPs have called for urgent action to prevent mental health services slipping backwards as a result of the pandemic and the scale of unmet need prior to it. |
Woodlands save £185m in mental health costs
06/12/2021 Visits to the UK’s woodlands boosts mental health and is estimated to save £185m in treatment costs annually, a new report has found. |
A bold local route to better mental health
18/11/2021 Local Living Well sites put people with complex mental health needs in control of their support and encourages them to set their own recovery goals. The programme is proud of its success, says Tally Daphu. |
Southwark first council to back Fund the Hubs campaign
17/11/2021 Southwark Council is calling on the Government to fund a network of early mental hubs for young people across the country. |
People with mental health issues three times more likely to fall into council tax arrears, charity warns
11/11/2021 Councils have been urged to provide people with mental health problems with more support to prevent them from falling into council tax debt. |
Peers reveal COVID's impact on children's mental health
05/11/2021 The mental health issues of vulnerable children already receiving support have become more severe due to the pandemic, councils have warned in a new survey. |
Children's mental health workforce rises by 39% in past three years
05/11/2021 The number of people working in children and young people’s mental health services has increased 39% over the past three years, new data has shown. |
Pandemic had 'devastating' health impact on shielded population, says charity
20/10/2021 Urgent action is needed to tackle the unmet health need and worsening mental health of those people asked to shield during the pandemic, a charity has said. |
Personal Independence Payment for people with mental health problems: Implications for local government
18/10/2021 Richard Machin outlines the findings of a new paper exploring the impact of welfare reform on local government services. |
Councils call for £100m investment in school counselling
15/10/2021 The Government has been urged to invest at least £100m per year to make school-based counselling available to all children. |
Calls to roll out 'no referral’ early support hubs
06/10/2021 Councils are calling for the creation of early support hubs to allow young people to access mental health support without a referral. |
One in six children have poor mental health
01/10/2021 One in six children in England struggled with their mental health in 2021 - the same number as during lockdown last year - according to new figures. |
Fruit and veg linked to better mental health in children
28/09/2021 Children who have plenty of fruit and vegetables in their diets have better mental health, new research reveals. |
Record number of children referred to mental health services
24/09/2021 Local authority leaders have stressed the importance of investing in community-based services in order to drive improvements in children’s mental health. |
Union warns of mental health crisis in care sector
15/09/2021 More than two-thirds of care workers (68%) have seen their mental health decline during the pandemic, according to the results of a new survey. |
Study links air pollution to use of mental health services
27/08/2021 Those exposed to high levels of air pollution are more likely to use mental health services, a new study has revealed. |
Children’s happiness suffers ‘significant decline’
26/08/2021 An estimated 300,000 children across the UK unhappy with their lives, a children’s charity has warned in its annual state-of-the-nation report. |
15 local areas to deliver Changing Futures programme
19/07/2021 The most vulnerable people across England will receive co-ordinated support to help rebuild their lives, the Government has announced. |
Lack of services sees thousands of people with a mental disorder sent to prison, says report
08/06/2021 Thousands of people with a mental health disorder are being sent to prison due to a lack of services, a new report has warned. |
Over 800 charities receive share of £4m fund to tackle loneliness
10/05/2021 More than 840 charities and community groups tackling social isolation have received a share of £4m to tackle loneliness, Government says. |
The key role local authorities play in the mental health of young migrants and refugees
07/05/2021 Amy Spiller explains how accessing mental health support through their local authorities can have a transformative effect on young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. |
Calls to declare a climate and ecological emergency
06/05/2021 A climate and ecological emergency should be declared to avoid a health and mental health 'catastrophe', the Royal College of Psychiatrists has warned today. |
Call to tackle 'mental health crisis' in care sector
27/04/2021 Three quarters of care workers have experienced worsened mental health as a result of the pandemic, new research has warned. |
Homeless charity warns calls from young people up a third in past year
21/04/2021 Vulnerable young people have struggled to access the support they need in the past year, a charity has warned in a new report. |
Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.
Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.
Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.