Jeremy Corbyn says he would look at growing the mental health budget

Jeremy Corbyn has announced that he would look to grow mental health budget.

The leadership candidate has today laid out his proposals to deal with the country’s mental health crisis. Corbyn’s campaign team have pointed out that 1 in 4 people experience mental health problems each year yet there has been an real terms cut to the mental health budget by 8%.

They have said Corbyn would looking a growing “rather than continuing to cut mental health service budgets”. He would also look at increasing investment in children’s mental health – the budget has been cut by £80miliion in the past four years – and increasing the number of mental health professionals.

Corbyn would also get rid of the work capability assessment.

The Islington North MP said the government is making Britain’s mental health crisis worse. He argued that the Tories rhetoric about improving mental health provision has “been accompanied by cuts in funding, services and support for people with mental health needs.”

“I am committed to a holistic approach that sees emotional wellbeing as fundamentally connected with a society less atomised and individualistic and more socially connected, more caring, more inclusive and more equal. We need a Labour government that will bring this negative narrative on mental health to an end,” he said.

Corbyn’s plans also include challenging the stigma around mental health through ensuring that mental health education is taught in schools and by introducing a course on life skills, emotional intelligence and parenting into the school curriculum.

He would also launch a national campaign to tackle loneliness, undertake a national study into children’s and young people’s mental health and challenge the high rates of mental illness among women.

Women are 70% more likely than men to experience depression and twice as likely to have an anxiety disorder. Corbyn’s campaign have pointed out that cuts to support services mean up to 10,000 victims of sexual abuse are estimated to be waiting more than a year for counselling.

Corbyn also said he is committed to tackling the ver-representation of people from black and minority ethnic communities in long-stay institutions. Black men in Britain are 17 times more likely than their white counterparts to be diagnosed with a psychotic illness.

Update:  Jeremy Corbyn has released a statement further outlining his opposition to the Work Capability assessment, in response to Iain Duncan Smith’s speech today. IDS has today announced changes to the rules on sickness benefits, which could force claimants to take up work while cutting their benefits.

Corbyn has said:

“Two years ago I backed calls in Parliament led by John McDonnell MP for a full cumulative impact assessment of the impact of cuts on disabled people, calls wilfully ignored by this Government.

“The work capability assessment has been an unmitigated disaster for disabled people, as well as for the reputation of the DWP, it’s Ministers, and the contractors involved.

“I share the view of the huge coalition of DWP workers, medical professionals, disabled people’s organisations, the TUC, and dozens of MPs who are calling for it to be scrapped.

“Disabled people have been targeted and are being hit up to 19 times harder by the cuts than others. The WCA has caused immense distress and even suicide, and this will only increase now that the Summer Budget announced a £30 cut per week for those disabled people deemed unable to work, but able to do some work-related activity.

“After the ‘fake quotes’ debacle last week, the Secretary of State needs to start listening to what disabled people are saying – that WCA is a failed policy and should be scrapped.”

Andy Burnham has also attacked Iain Duncan’s speech, saying:

“It’s clear that Iain Duncan Smith is now preparing a new attack on disabled people to cover for his own failures on social security.

“Talk of cutting support for people who are simply not able to work will strike fear into the hearts of many vulnerable people.

“The cruel and crude approach of the Tories has already driven many people to despair and this new drive will cause even more anxiety.”