Figures obtained by Stockport Labour Group reveal that over 20% of people in Stockport suffer from a mental health illness and the borough is ranked 26 most in need out of 211 areas in England. Incredibly, spending on mental health by Stockport MBC is only 1.3% of the £12m public health budget held by the Council.
Stockport Labour Group spokesperson Cllr Wendy Wild says:
“Spending on mental health treatment is underfunded compared to physical illnesses. In 2013-14 only 8.36% of total NHS spending in Stockport was on mental health, significantly lower than the 10% average across the rest of England.”
Labour’s Shadow Health Minister and Denton & Reddish MP, Andrew Gwynne adds:
“You only have to look at the Liberal Democrat record at the Department of Health to see their promises amount to nothing – this April there were at least 3,600 fewer NHS nurses and 200 fewer NHS doctors working in mental health in England compared to just two years ago.
“A Lib Dem Minister has been in charge of mental health services for more than two years and we have only seen the situation get worse.”
Cllr Wild continues:
“Less than half of the patients who seek help for anxiety and depression receive any treatment, and for those who do waiting times are increasing. Only Labour will give mental health the parity of esteem which it deserves with physical health.”
Local NHS services are likely to face even greater pressure due to under investment by Liberal Democrat-led Stockport Council. The Council had a public health budget of £12.36million in 2013-14, but a recent Freedom of Information request by the charity MIND found that only £168,000 of this was spent on mental health.
Under Labour, the right to mental health treatment will be enshrined in the NHS Constitution, there will be mental health training for all NHS staff, and mental health will be placed at the heart of the Labour vision for an integrated health and social care system.