Mind Cymru responds to the Welsh Government’s Draft Budget

Mind Cymru welcomes the Welsh Government’s announcement that the Draft Budget for 2016-17 allocates a £30 million funding boost for ‘older people and mental health services’.

Sara Moseley, director of Mind Cymru said:

“While we await further detail and scrutiny of exactly how and where the extra funding will be spent, we hope this goes some way towards delivering Mind’s call for an increase in the level of funding for mental health services by at least 2 per cent in real terms each year for the next five years.

Poor mental health accounts for a fifth of the overall burden of illness in Wales, yet last year mental health accounted for just 11.4% of overall Welsh NHS spend. With mental health problems costing the Welsh economy £7.2bn each year, we can’t afford not to invest more in prevention and treatment to ensure everybody living with a mental health problem in Wales gets the support they deserve.

The demand for services is rising, and dropping the ball on the mental wellbeing of the population results only in people needing greater support further down the line.”

Ahead of the 2016 Assembly Election, Mind has outlined four priorities for mental health which the next Welsh Government must commit to addressing:

Ensure everybody has safe and speedy access to quality crisis care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whatever the circumstances in which they first need help, regardless of where they turn to first.
Mandate that NHS Wales offer a full range of evidence based psychological therapies to everyone who needs them within 28 days of requesting a referral.
Increase the level of funding for mental health services by at least 2 per cent in real terms each year for the next five years and deliver joined-up services for mental and physical health.
Improve the level of mental health support available for parents, children and young people.