The Government has pledged to invest an extra £1bn in mental health care by 2021, following the publication of a new report showing a million more people will access mental health services.
The Mental Health Taskforce has published its five-year plan for delivering services for those with mental health problems.
It calls for mental and physical health to be treated equally, and for people facing a mental health crisis to have access to 24/7 care.
Chief executive of Mind and chair of the taskforce, Paul Farmer, said: ‘This is a landmark moment for mental health care in this country, a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform services and support for people with mental health problems.
‘We are saying to the NHS, to government, to industry, to local leaders and to the public that mental health must be a priority for everyone in England. We need to prevent problems in the first place, and to respond to people’s mental health problems at the earliest possible opportunity.’
The extra funding from Government will help deliver the first ever access and waiting time standards for mental health and support a commitment to reducing suicides by 10%.
Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt said: ‘Our shared vision of a seven day mental health service means people will get the care they need, when they need it, and will help us do much more to prevent mental illness in the first place.
‘We will work across Government and with the NHS to make the recommendations in this landmark report a reality, so that we truly deliver equality between mental and physical health.’
