Mind cool on Welsh mental health drafts

Early drafts of an action plan to promote better mental health for older people in Wales have come under attack from Mind Cymru.

The charity’s director, Lindsey Foyster, accused them of lacking substantial proposals and being “weak on action”.

Welsh older people’s minister John Griffiths said the assembly government’s action plan would look at the impact of poverty, isolation and poor housing on the mental health of older people and how current policies addressed these.

It will also assess how these issues link into its healthy ageing programme.

But Foyster said: “There’s no resources going into mental health promotion and we need work done on the public understanding of mental health and well-being.

“Mental health is only a small part of the older people’s national service framework and it needs to be higher up the public health agenda.”

The action plan is due to be consulted on before it is published in the autumn.