The Association’s response to The Labour Party’s General Election Manifesto

The Labour Party published their manifesto “Change” today which sets out plans to “turn the page and start to rebuild our country.”

We welcome the Labour Party’s commitment to reduce mental health waiting lists, bolster the mental health workforce with 8,500 new suicide-trained members of staff, and modernise the outdated Mental Health Act.  We know that the modernisation of this legislation would give patients more choice, as well as enhanced support and rights.

Labour’s commitment to reduce the stark health inequalities, such as life expectancy, by tackling the social detriments of health is a hugely positive step forward to help ensure that our nation is more equal – not just for the richest or most privileged in our society, but those that are most marginalised in our society.

We know the importance of prevention for mental health outcomes and Labour’s promise to take “preventative public health measures to tackle the biggest killers and support people to live longer, healthier lives” is crucial. Their commitment to build on the Online Safety Act and reduce misogynistic content, outlaw smoking, tackle obesity, and reform gambling legislation, will all help reduce harm and have an enormous impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing.

The manifesto also outlines a plan to create a National Care Service, a Fair Pay Agreement in Adult Social Care, and to move healthcare into local communities, which will be beneficial to the social care sector, the workforce, and the people who are supported. It will enable the workforce to receive the financial compensation they deserve and ensure that people can be supported to live safe and well, close to home.

All political parties must commit to addressing the root causes of mental ill health, investing in the mental health workforce and VCSE sectors’ sustainability, and fixing inequalities in the mental health and wider health and social care system. We urge whoever forms the next government to make mental health a priority so that we can achieve our vision of Better Mental Health for Everyone.