Groundbreaking mental health report is praised by Health Minister
South Lakes MP Tim Farron's mental health report has been praised by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt MP.
The report 'Born in South Lakeland - developing emotionally resilient children' was commissioned by Tim to review how services operating in Cumbria could provide better support for young people. After the report's launch, Tim sent a copy to the Health Secretary to ask him to enact many of the recommendations within the report throughout the UK.
Jeremy Hunt today replied to Tim saying: "I am grateful to you for sight of the very comprehensive report on child and adolescent mental health services as it affects South Lakeland in particular and Cumbria generally. As you may know, the Department of Health and NHS England have set up a Task Force to look into how we can improve a clearly fragmented system. I have asked officials to look at this report and consider how the learning it contains may be applied more generally."
The review found there was a stigma around talking about a youngsters' mental health and that it didn't receive the same treatment or funding as taking care of physical health. It called on public sector staff to take personal responsibility for cases, a self-harm working group to be set up and a widening of schemes to stop young people putting themselves at risk online.
The report was researched over an eight month period by an independent panel consisting of Glenys Marriott, the former chairwoman of South Tees NHS Hospitals Trust board, sixth form student Zoe Butler, an Inspira young adviser for South Lakeland, and John Asher, leader of the Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide group in the area.
Tim said: "I am delighted that the work we did locally, could have an impact nationally. The report that Glenys, Zoe and John did was fantastic and I cannot thank them enough. Mental health has a taboo which must be broken. Mental health must be given the same priority as physical health and I am committed to helping make that happen."