MPs urged to support mental health campaign

David Hinchliffe MP has tabled an early day motion supporting
Community Care’s ‘Changing Minds’ campaign for better
mental health care for children, writes Katie
Leason.

The EDM put forward by Hinchliffe, who is chairperson of the
House of Commons health select committee, highlights the lack of
national policy on facilities for treating young people with mental
health problems. It also calls on the government to convene a
taskforce to draw up a national strategy for England covering all
mental health services for children and young people.

Young people are ending up back in the mental health system as
adults with “more severe and enduring difficulties”, it reads.

In addition, the EDM calls for increased funding in mental
health services for children and young people, stating that there
is almost no specialist provision and few community based services
available for them, even though the previous health select
committee specifically called for such services.

While acknowledging the “considerable headway” the government is
already making in addressing the issue, Peter Wilson, chief
executive of children”s mental health charity YoungMinds, welcomed
the EDM.

“We do need to recognise that the scale of children”s mental
health problems is considerable and will need substantial resources
to ensure there is a sufficient workforce available to carry out
improvements and that there is greater investment in the training
of staff,” Wilson said.