The Shadow Cabinet Minister for Mental Health said the Tory government isn't seeing the mental health "crisis" as a priority and fears for the coming months.
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, MP for Tooting and part of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer 's Shadow Cabinet, visited Paul's Place in Clubmoor yesterday, Monday, September 26. The Labour politician met with the founders of the specialist bereavement counselling service provided by Liverpool-based Beacon Counselling Trust to discuss the "special" work it does.
Speaking with the ECHO following the open discussion, Dr Rosena Allin-Khan said her visit to the service was to see "best practice and get some ideas going forward so we have a manifesto that can support people going forward". Labour mental health pledges include access hubs in every community, a counsellor in every school and guaranteed support within a month.
READ MORE: Labour lends support to 'special' Liverpool bereavement service with 'powerful' model
But Dr Allin-Khan added she feared the Conservative Government was not seeing the mental health "crisis" as a priority. She said prime minister Liz Truss had not appointed a Minister of State for Care and Mental Health to her recently appointed Cabinet. The position was most recently held by Gillian Keegan, who left in September.
Dr Allin-Khan told the ECHO : "The government hasn't even put forward their mental health minister so I hope they put someone up who takes into account the significant challenges we await in the coming months. I was expecting someone to shadow a couple of weeks ago and it doesn't bode well that someone in charge of the mental health brief hasn't been announced.
"There's clearly no one working on it if they haven't been announced. I think right now there is such a crisis that's only set to deepen. The government should be seeing it as a priority but I fear they don't."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told the ECHO: "Mental health remains a priority for the government and we have committed to invest at least an additional £2.3 billion per year into mental health services by 2024 – giving two million more people the help they need. As laid out in Our Plan for Patients, we will improve the availability of mental health support for all ages - including access to NHS talking therapies and strengthening support in schools.”
Dr Allin-Khan, who is also an A&E doctor, also expressed fears for the coming months as the cost of living crisis is set to worsen. With rising energy costs and the pound's recent plummet in the markets, the shadow minister said people's mental and physical health could be affected.
She told the ECHO : "Mental health is a real issue because people are coming in [to A&E] and saying they don't know how they're going to afford to put food on the table or a roof over their heads. In terms of physical health, people in cold and damp homes who can't afford to put the heating on will have a real physical impact. I'm fearful of what we're going to see in the winter months and I unfortunately think it's a real worry."
Dr Allin-Khan, who is in Liverpool for the Labour Conference, will be speaking today on a panel titled 'The long-term impacts of the pandemic on mental health and the case for universal care'. Visibly moved by listening to the founders and service users at Paul's Place, Dr Allin-Khan called the service "special" with a "powerful model".
She said "it would be fantastic if such services could be replicated around the country because we know suicide is all too common". Dr Allin-Khan added: "I will be giving Paul's Place a shout out in my speech because the work they do is phenomenal and needs to be supported - and they certainly have our support."
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