He wrote: “It is not enough to dismiss this crisis as the complaints of a bunch of snowflakes. Not when children at risk of suicide are denied even a place on a waiting list, because services are so desperate. 32,000 children have been waiting for their first appointment for more than two years.”
The Labor manifestopublished on Thursday, promises an extra 8,500 new NHS staff during a first term in government to treat children and adults suffering from mental health problems.
It also promises drop-in mental health centers for young people in every community and support in every school, including fast-tracking to help with the most serious mental health issues.
“Britain is currently suffering from a mental health epidemic that is crippling lives, especially those of children and young people,” the manifesto states, describing the situation as “a tragedy.”
Data from the Office for National Statistics suggests that one in five children suffers from “Probable mental health disorders” – up from one in eight before the pandemic.
Last year, a study suggested that middle-class children suffered the worst mental health effects during the pandemic.
The British study of almost 10,000 families found that those from wealthy backgrounds experienced the biggest decline.
Researchers from the University of Glasgow said parents in these families were more likely to work from home, while trying to juggle childcare.
Sick society holds Britain back
The parliamentarian said that all mental health policies were fully budgeted and would be funded entirely through close tax loopholes for the richest.
Streeting said Britain’s mental health crisis was also keeping people out of the job market and costing the country billions.
He said expanding mental health services would “get people back to work” and increase economic growth.
Ahead of a visit to a men’s mental health charity, Streeting said: “The Tories’ high-tax, low-growth record offers no hope for the future – just £4,800 more on working families’ mortgages.
“People across the country are being denied the support they need to get and stay in work.
“The rise in mental illness under the Conservative government is costing Britain £23 billion a year.
“Stress, depression and anxiety account for 17 million lost work days each year. There are currently three million people out of work due to long-term illnesses, almost half of whom suffer from mental health problems.
The cost in lost economic output, if nothing changes and the Conservatives are given another five years, will rise to £115 billion,” he wrote, saying “our sick society is holding back the British economy.”
Only the Labor Party has a compelling offer for the next generation in its manifesto
This generation of young people has seen their future cut off at the knees.
The pandemic was the only time in our history when the lives, freedoms and livelihoods of the young were sacrificed to protect the elderly.
Young people missed crucial years of education and saw the start of their careers cut short. Unless something changes, they will inherit a country with record NHS waiting lists and receive the highest levels of public debt since the 1960s.
Perhaps most damaging of all is that young people saw their mental health corrupted by lockdown. Teenagers, in particular, do not see their mental well-being return to normal as they mature. Surely we still do not know the true magnitude of the damage caused to our children.
Labor supported the Conservative government’s decisions to lock down the country, and I don’t for a minute pretend otherwise. But having done this, we now owe this generation a debt. A debt that Rishi Sunak refuses to pay.
He canceled his education catch-up. He has admitted that the dream of home ownership has become a myth for many under the Conservative government. His manifesto, full of costless spending, risks sending mortgages soaring by another £4,800, putting them further out of reach for millions. And young people have had to wait up to five years for a mental health appointment, at a critical stage in their development.
An urgent need of our time
Mental health is now one of the urgent needs of our time – a second pandemic after Covid. It is not enough to dismiss this crisis as the complaints of a bunch of snowflakes. Not when children at risk of suicide are denied even a place on a waiting list, because services are so desperate. A total of 32,000 children have been waiting for their first appointment for more than two years.
It is not only a breach of our duty to care for children, it is damaging the economy. Stress, depression and anxiety account for 17 million lost work days each year. There are currently three million people out of work due to long-term illnesses, almost half of whom suffer from mental health problems. The cost in lost economic output, if nothing changes and the Conservatives are given another five years, will rise to £115bn.
Our sick society is holding back the British economy. You cannot build a rich economy without a healthy society.
Only the Labor Party has a plan to reduce waiting lists and get people back to work. That is a key part of our program to get our economy growing again. We will hire an additional 8,500 mental health professionals to give people the treatment they need, when they need it. We will provide drop-in mental health centers for youth in all communities.
Many children on mental health waiting lists will not be at the forefront, with the most serious mental health problems. They may simply need reassurance that feeling stressed during exams is normal and that puberty isn’t easy for anyone. Labor will provide mental health support in all schools, so children receive the early intervention they need and those with serious mental health problems can be seen quickly. All of our mental health policies are fully funded and financed by closing tax loopholes for the richest.
Only the Labor Party has a compelling offer for the next generation in its manifesto. With our plans to introduce breakfast clubs in primary schools so that children start the day with hungry minds rather than hungry bellies, reform planning and build 1.5 million more homes to revive the dream of home ownership housing and getting young people off mental health waiting lists and into work. , only the Labor Party will build a better future for young people.
