Communities and Local Government — Mental Health Services — 8 May 2007 at 21:45

I beg to move,

That this House is concerned that despite mental illness affecting one in six adults in the UK the proportion of NHS spending allocated to mental health has decreased or been diverted to other areas in the last 10 years, despite the growing burden on the disability benefit system and criminal justice system of dealing with mental illness; recognises that historic under-funding of mental health services has been exacerbated by the Government's top-slicing of budgets in order to bring the NHS out of deficit; notes the damaging impact that this has had on providing access to mental health services, with particular regard to the unacceptably poor state of many acute mental health wards in providing appropriate settings for the treatment of children and young people, addressing the race inequalities in the mental health system and improving patient safety through, for example, the eradication of mixed sex wards; further notes the warning in last year's Health Select Committee Report on NHS deficits that cuts in mental health services are simply unacceptable; calls on the Government to deliver on its promise to ensure that trusts whose budgets were top-sliced in the last financial year will get their money back this year , or where diverted to other means be made up to their original right and to take active steps to ensure that within each health economy mental health trusts receive their fair allocation of funding; and further urges the Government to accelerate its implementation of Lord Layard's report, which says that expanding therapy services could be paid for by the savings this would create for expenditure on benefits.

I beg to move, To leave out from "House" to the end of the Question, and to add instead thereof:

"welcomes the extra £1.65 billion spent on mental health services since 2001; supports the record number of staff working in mental health since 1997 including almost 9,400 more psychiatric nurses and over 1,300 more consultant psychiatrists; further welcomes the lowest suicide rates since records began; recognises the work of the 700 new mental health teams in the community; notes the national patient survey, which shows that 77 per cent. of community patients rate their care as good, very good or excellent; recognises that between 2001 and 2005 £1.6 billion capital was spent by mental health trusts on improvements to mental health wards; further welcomes the Government's commitment to expanding access to psychological therapies; and further welcomes the Government's Mental Health Bill, which will update the legislation to reflect advances in knowledge and new ways of treating people, particularly in the community."

Diverts the mentally ill people who have fallen into the penal system into the Mental Health system, where they can receive adequate assissment and treatment. Give all mentally ill people, when their mental state has been restored the information they require regarding advanced statements should they have further breakdown. Give more support and funding to carers of the metally ill, and ensure that they receive a break from caring.

Question put accordingly, That the original words stand part of the Question:-

The House divided: Ayes 86, Noes 290.

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