Our response to 10 Year Health Plan
News from Â鶹ԭ´´

It’s encouraging that the Government has made accessing mental health care in the community a priority, as revealed in its launched today (3 July).

While we await specific details about how the counselling and psychotherapy workforce will be utilised in these changes, many of the broader proposals are also a step in the right direction.

Improving access in the community

We support the commitment to bring mental health care to people’s doorsteps through the proposed new Neighbourhood Health Services. This has the potential to help people access support as early as possible and before they reach crisis point. 

The government also plans to invest £120 million to develop around 85 Mental Health Emergency Departments across the country, so those who need crisis support can get the help they need in an appropriate, specialist setting.

Another welcome development is the roll-out of My Specialist, a digital feature within the renewed NHS App which will allow people to self-refer to access mental health services, meaning people can get help faster.

Support in schools

We’re pleased to see the government reaffirm its commitment to provide Young Futures Hubs something we’ve campaigned for as partner of the Funds the Hubs coalition. We’ll keep calling for access to counselling and psychotherapy for children and young people as part of the government’s policy to establish nationwide coverage of mental health support teams in schools.

It’s also good to see the focus on the wellbeing of NHS staff by creating Staff Treatment Hubs. These will deliver occupational health assistance, including mental health support. Good staff wellbeing is a vital to a functioning NHS. Counsellors and psychotherapists have a role to play in delivering this support, as well as benefiting from such care as part of the NHS workforce.

Talking therapies will also form part of support for those seeking employment. We believe jobseekers would benefit from therapy to help with their mental wellbeing and manage health conditions that affect their ability to work.

Government taking action

Our Head of Policy and Public Affairs Martin Bell said:

“We’re pleased to see the Government finally taking action and focusing on delivering health services in the community, as well as recruiting more mental health professionals.

“It’s a detailed plan and we’re reviewing it thoroughly to fully understand the implications for our members and how it will help more people get access to therapy.

“For the Neighbourhood Health Service to succeed it must include qualified counsellors and psychotherapists working together with other health professionals. We know our members have an important role to play in delivering these services as part of multi-disciplinary teams.

“We’ll be watching carefully to see how these proposals will come together with the upcoming NHS Workforce Plan – expected later in the summer. In the meantime, we’ll keep using our influence with policy makers and ministers to ensure that counsellors and psychotherapists are included in plans to improve our NHS.