Mental Health

The Lib Dems made mental health a priority for a government for the first time in the early 2010s. Until then, mental health had been left as the Cinderella service, with physical health matters a higher priority.

This had to change, as we believe that mental and physical health, and overall wellbeing, are equal priorities. It’s outrageous that, until the Lib Dems entered government, there were no target waiting times for accessing care. We introduced the first targets for general access and for children facing their first episode of psychosis. We believe this should go further. The other parties, having never given mental health a focus before, are slowly beginning to agree with the Lib Dems on needing more mental health target waiting times to ensure access to treatment.

Rural areas often struggle more than urban areas with access to health care, so it’s vital that additional funding – which mental health desperately needs – is spread fairly around the country.

We believe that every school should have a dedicated mental health professional and we are also calling for reform to the service for children and young adults so they can maintain access as they move into adulthood.

Lib Dems in government also focussed on self-referral services that allow people to not have the year-plus wait for GP referrals. We believe this funding needs to go further, especially for hard-to-reach communities.

Jenny is proud of the Lib Dem record on mental health – since the Tories were left to their own devices in government, funding and services have dropped drastically. The Lib Dems would reverse this trend and ensure people get the help they need, especially for the youngest who need it most urgently.