Today the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg addressed a conference which brought together mental health experts, charities and users of mental health services to talk about how mental health can be improved in this country and bring it out of the shadows.
Speaking at the conference, the Deputy Prime Minister said:
“All too often, attitudes to mental health are stuck in the dark ages; full of stigma and stereotypes. It’s time for us to bring mental health out of the shadows and to give people with mental health conditions the support they need and deserve.“
The Department of Health has published Closing the Gap: Priorities for Essential Change in Mental Health which outlines 25 areas for health and care services to take action which will make a difference to the lives of people with mental health conditions.
These changes aim to make the system fairer for people with mental health problems.
Today, the research institute RAND Europe has published a report, Psychological Wellbeing and Work: Improving Service Provision and Outcomes for People With Mental Health Problems in the UK, commissioned by the government with suggestions for better supporting people with mental health problems in getting back to work, including making sure that our health and employment services work more closely together. The Government is carefully considering the findings of this report and work is already underway to develop options for trials.