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Health Secretary Matt Hancock acknowledged that mental health services were under-resourced and underestimated as he announced the appointment of a suicide prevention minister.
Jackie Doyle-Price, Minister of Health, will be assigned this new document and will be responsible for ensuring that each region has effective plans to end unnecessary deaths and research how technology can help identify the most vulnerable people. at risk.
A report issued by Whitehall's spending watchdog, released Wednesday, revealed that even though current plans to spend an additional £ 1.4 billion on the sector were being delivered, it would remain a "significant unmet need" because of the staff shortage, insufficient data and lack of expenditure controls on NHS clinical commissioning groups.
Hancock said the National Audit Office's report indicated that service delivery was "still far from what we needed", but that improvements had been made.
"The truth is that for a very long time, mental health simply did not have the same level of support – both in terms of resources and how we talk about it as a society – in relation to physical health. we want to change that, "he told BBC Radio 4's" Today "show."
In addition to having a suicide prevention minister, the government wanted to ensure that "when drafting the long-term plan for the future of the NHS, which we are writing right now, we make sure that mental health is a crucial part of that. "
Doyle-Price, whose new title will be Minister of Mental Health, Inequality and Suicide Prevention, said she would place bereaved families at the heart of her strategy. She is thought to be the world's premier suicide prevention minister.
In a statement, she said, "I understand how the effect of suicide can be tragic, devastating and lasting on families and communities. As Minister of Health, I met many people who committed suicide and committed suicide. Their stories of suffering and loss will remain with me for a long time.
"These are the people who need to be at the heart of what we do, and I look forward to working closely with them, as well as experts, to oversee a government-wide suicide prevention plan, ensuring that their views are shared. always be heard. "
At a reception held on Wednesday on the occasion of World Mental Health Day, Theresa May will declare that the provision of mental health care is one of the "burning injustices" that she is committed to fighting when she becomes Prime Minister.
"Together, we can change that," she says. "We can put an end to the stigma that has forced too many people to suffer in silence. We can prevent the tragedy of suicide from killing too many lives. And we can give the mental well-being of our children the priority they deserve so deeply. "
The Prime Minister has also pledged up to £ 1.8 million for the Samaritans' hotline to remain free for the next four years, as well as new mental health support teams for schools, which will be helped to measure the health of their students, including their children. mental well-being.
However, Anne Longfield, Children's Commissioner for England, said the proposed five-year plan took too long to wait for some children and said five years "look like a life for a young child".
"I would like to see a counselor in each high school, each elementary school have access to counseling services, bridge the huge gap between spending on adult mental health and children's mental health and put in place a system offering support and treatment to each child. who needs it when they need it, "she said. "Today's announcement is a step forward that must now be accompanied by adequate funding and a more ambitious delivery."
• In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted at 116 123 or by email at [email protected]. In the United States, the national suicide prevention policy is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, Lifeline emergency help is available at number 13 11 14. Other international suicide hotlines can be found at www.befrienders.org.
