Today, the Committee's Report on the Draft Mental Health Bill has been published - this is a once in a generation opportunity to improve the rights of patients experiencing a mental health crisis and to tackle the health inequalities enshrined in current legislation.

Over the last six months, I've been proud to work with my committee colleagues, listening to patient voices and evidence from experts.

We heard heartbreaking accounts from patients. Above all else, the legislation has to protect them and ensure they receiving appropriate care. 

For years, the Government kicked updating this legislation into the long grass, and now, the current draft bill still does not go far enough to tackle the racial disparity of those detained under the Mental Health Act. 

Patient voices must be at the heart of this legislation.

Read the full report here: 
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt5803/jtselect/jtmentalhealth/696/report.html

Today, Justin Madders MP and I met with the Retail trade union Usdaw and a group of retail workers in Westminster to talk about how the cost-of-living crisis, rising violence and abuse in stores, and the impact of Christmas holiday trade is affecting the mental health of customers and colleagues.

Far too many people are facing this Christmas period worried about how to provide for their families. With so many Usdaw members having their mental health impacted as a result of the cost-of-living crisis and increased levels of abuse in the workplace, it is deeply important that we, as politicians, take the time to listen.

​An undercover joint investigation by Sky News and The Independent has raised serious concerns about the safety of patients at inpatient settings ran by the Huntercombe Group.  

This is the third investigation into abuse in secure inpatient mental health settings, in four weeks. The system is broken.

I previously wrote to Therese Coffey, the previous Health Secretary, to raise my concerns about other similar investigations highlighting allegations of abuse, by Channel 4 Dispatches and BBC Panorama, but did not receive a response. The Government has been silent over these allegations and for weeks there wasn’t even a functioning Mental Health Minister.

Patients, and their families, deserve answers. They deserve dignity, respect and access to high quality treatment, which is why I have called for a rapid review into mental health services and the way patients are treated in inpatient settings. 

See my statement in Parliament here: 
​https://twitter.com/DrRosena/status/1587420289662492672?s=20&t=Gj2YhL3GB3Os4nSrRoGK7Q

​There is a crisis in our universities up and down the country, with record numbers of students now seeking mental health support, according to our latest research. Through Freedom of Information requests, we found that over 200,000 students sought support for their mental health across the UK in 2020-2021 – a threefold increase, since 2010. The lack of mental health support for our young people is not only affecting their health, but it also having a knock-on impact on their future prospects. 

Universities are struggling to cope with the rising demand for access to the mental health treatment students need. Every five days, a student takes their own life. 

That is why Labour has put forward a comprehensive plan, that will put prevention of the heart of mental health services. Under Labour’s plan, we will recruit 8,500 new mental health professionals by the end of our first term in office, to see an addition one million patients per year.

See more about the crisis in mental health at universities, here: https://twitter.com/DrRosena/status/1579388728153604098?s=20&t=CcG6Wxm1iHr6xo0Cfsjyww 

Parents arriving in A&E with ashen faces holding their children, whose bodies are skeletal and covered in cuts. Families are on suicide watch. Frontline NHS workers are at breaking point. This is the reality of Tory Britain in 2022.  

Our latest research has shown that more than a million patients referred to mental health services were turned away over the last 12 months, whilst the cost of mental illness to the British economy is £117 billion a year. This is the direct result of 12 years of Conservative mismanagement of our economy and public services. 

We need a growing economy to pay for modern, preventative sustainable healthcare, but we can only do this with a Labour Government that will put our public services back on track. 

The next Labour Government will transform our mental health services: new staff, new services, faster treatment, and prevention as our watchword. Better mental health for all. 

Read my latest piece in the Daily Mirror here.
https://twitter.com/DrRosena/status/1579113927438663681?s=20&t=FTZA6bYs6BUjLJ-vVYAmzg 

Labour will revolutionise mental health treatment – putting prevention front and centre.

If ever there was an argument that prevention is better than cure, it is with mental health.

We know that the longer mental illnesses are left untreated, the harder and more costly they are to treat.

This mental health crisis is wrecking the British economy.

Last year, 18 million work days were lost to mental illness - more than industrial disputes, more than injuries.

It costs the UK economy at least £117 billion a year.

And who does the cost-of-living crisis hit the hardest? Those already living with mental illnesses.

The next Labour Government will guarantee treatment within a month, recruit 8,500 new staff, put a specialist in every school and a hub in every community.

Labour will transform our mental health services:
New staff.
New services.
Faster treatment.
Prevention as our watchword.
Better mental health for all.
  
Watch my full speech here:
https://twitter.com/DrRosena/status/1575177559943581696?s=20&t=wn3hxvRyskYM3JmyFl3dlg

It was a privilege to speak at the 13th Annual Black Mental Health Conference, hosted by Wandsworth Community Empowerment Network. 

As a society, we have to understand the role cultural contact and intersecting identities play when working to support those struggling with their mental health. 

And we must continue to push back against stigma and foster an open and honest dialogue around mental health in our communities.

​Thank you for having me.

​On Monday 6 September, I’ll be live on Riverside Radio diving into why mental health matters and, perhaps most importantly, all your mental health matters.

The last 18 months have been incredibly challenging for so many of us and have highlighted the importance of mental health care. We need true parity of esteem between physical and mental health. One step we can take towards reducing any stigma is by being open in our conversations around mental health.

Join me for an honest, straight-talking hour, 6-7pm next Monday! And if you have any questions about mental health that you want to ask on air, please email [email protected].

Today, the BBC revealed that in 2018 4,500 people in mental health crisis were unlawfully held in police custody due to a lack of mental health beds.

I spoke about this matter on BBC News earlier today. 

There is no question that the system must change immediately. This is nothing short of a scandal. Rest assured I will be pressing the Government on this issue.