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‘Covid impact cannot be understated’: Welsh Conservatives vow to increase spending on mental health

18 Apr 2021 2 minute read
Andrew RT Davies

The Welsh Conservatives have vowed to transform mental health provision in Wales by ensuring it is given the same priority as physical health.

They said that the pandemic had a detrimental impact on people’s mental health and have outlined a series of pledges to ensure it is tackled as a priority by the next Welsh Government.

That includes introducing a new Mental Health Act, to replace “outdated” legislation and ensure the “latest thinking” is incorporated in to mental health provision

Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies, said: “The last year has seen people’s lives turned upside down and the impact cannot be understated.

“But pre-pandemic, mental health provision was overlooked by successive governments in Cardiff Bay and Welsh Conservatives will ensure this does not continue.”

Dedicated

The pledges include:

  • Undertaking a fundamental review of mental health services through a Commission on Mental Health, with service users, families, professionals and the charity sector
  • Establishing and publish targets on waiting times for mental health treatment for key issues including eating disorders.
  • Increasing spending on mental health and wellbeing services in real terms in each and every year of the next Welsh Parliament
  • Creating a network of mental health crisis centres that are open around the clock for people to access in mental health emergencies
  • Ensuring that mental health treatments are utilising the latest technology and work with Universities to make Wales a leader in mental health treatment
  • Increasing the capacity of mental health services for children and young people to prevent placements at great distances from their loved ones
  • Delivering dedicated mother and baby units in both North and South Wales
  • Ensuring that all schools, colleges and universities have mental health and wellbeing services for learners to access

“We will give people in Wales a cast-iron guarantee that we will transform mental health by giving it the same focus and energy that is given to physical health,” Andrew RT Davies said.

“We will achieve this goal through a variety of wide-ranging pledges, including introducing a new Mental Health Act, establishing a network of mental health crisis centres, and ensuring all young people have access to mental health services at schools, colleges and universities.

“No one should suffer in silence and our plan for change will create a brighter future by transforming mental health.”


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Robert Williams
Robert Williams
2 years ago

‘Covid impact cannot be understated’ actually means that it’s small to negligible – is that really what the Welsh Conservatives wanted to say? If their language and thinking are as muddly and inaccurate as this…

hdavies15
hdavies15
2 years ago

Use of over elaborate language designed to impress but often turning out as “dud-speak” is a common flaw among politicians of all colours. Verbosity trumps clarity in their pompous puddled world……

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