The Liberal Democrats launched their manifesto today, Wednesday 17 May, with several mental health pledges including:
“Increase access to clinically - and cost-effective talking therapies so that hundreds of thousands more people can receive this support.”
BACP asked all parties that a full range of evidence-based psychological therapies should be offered and available to clients to ensure that they have adequate choice of treatment and opportunity to access appropriate services.
The Liberal Democrat manifesto seeks to: “Ensure that all teaching staff have the training to identify mental health issues and that schools provide immediate access for pupil support and counselling.”
BACP has also campaigned for universal access to a trained school-based counsellor for all secondary schools across the UK. Despite Wales and Northern Ireland having national school-based counselling strategies, England and Scotland have yet to demonstrate a similar commitment to children’s mental wellbeing.
BACP asked all parties that research funding should be proportionate to the burden of disease relating to mental health problems in the UK. The Liberal Democrat manifesto says that “a fair proportion of all public funding for medical research should be focused on research into mental ill-health”.
Other pledges include to: "Continue to roll out access and waiting time standards for children, young people and adults. This will include a guarantee that people will not wait more than six weeks for therapy for depression or anxiety and no young person will wait more than two weeks for treatment when they experience a first episode of psychosis.”
We will continue to updating you as other manifestos are launched.