F5: Taking a stand for mental health

Submitted by: Young Liberals and 10 members.
Mover: Fergus Ustianowski.
Summation: Munira Wilson MP (Spokesperson for Education, Children and Young People).

Conference notes that:

1. According to the Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing in England, one in six people aged 16+ experienced symptoms of a mental health issue in the past week.
2. COVID-19 has severely impacted people's mental health, with the number of children with probable mental health disorders rising from one in nine in 2017, to one in six children in 2021.
3. Financial difficulties, which have been exacerbated by the cost of living crisis and the Conservative Government's failure to effectively respond to it, can have devastating impacts on people's mental health.
4. In 2021, there were 4.3 million referrals to mental health services, hitting record levels.
5. Data on children and young people's mental health is incredibly unreliable, with statistics on waiting times and spend per person being reported differently from Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to CCG, and no data published on mental health in schools
6. Young people, the LGBTQ+ community, ethnic minority communities, disabled people, carers, and those who are unemployed or who live alone have increased chances of long-term poor mental health.
7. Suicide rates are higher among men than women, and men face additional stigma in speaking about their mental health.
8. Studies have demonstrated that children with mental health difficulties are more likely to have lower attainment when it comes to educational outcomes.
9. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health will last for many years.

Conference believes that:

1. Mental health is as important as physical health.
2. Mental health support should not be a postcode lottery, everyone deserves access to help regardless of their background.
3. It is important that the differing needs of minority groups and those disproportionately affected by mental health issues are addressed in a response to the mental health crisis.
4. After the severe negative impacts of lockdowns and COVID-19 restrictions on people's mental health, we need a high-quality system of care, with early interventions.

Conference reaffirms the Liberal Democrat commitments to:

1. Make prescriptions for those with chronic mental health conditions free on the NHS.
2. Improve integration between mental health trusts, Local Authorities, and hospitals.
3. Develop a Student Mental Health Charter so that universities and colleges provide sufficient mental health provision for their students.

Conference calls on the UK Government to:

1. Publish a strategy to tackle the mental health crisis, with increased funding, specific mental health policies and consideration of the impact of other areas of policy on mental health.
2. Introduce maximum waiting times for both referral and treatment under mental health services for young people.
3. Reform Ofsted's Inspection Framework to ensure children's mental health and wellbeing are at the heart of the way schools are graded.
4. Provide a dedicated, qualified mental health practitioner to every school.
5. Publish a strategy for rolling out mental health support in the workplace.
6. Work cross-departmentally to ensure that a holistic approach is taken to mental health in government policy, with a full consultation to develop policies to specifically address the mental health challenges faced by different minority groups.

Applicability: England only.

Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 9 of the agenda. 

The deadline for amendments to this motion, see page 12 of the agenda, and for requests for separate votes, see pages 8-9 of the agenda, is 13.00 Monday 5 September. Those selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Saturday's Conference Daily.