No Health without Mental Health is the coalition Government’s new mental health policy. Launched today, February 2, it is the result of a collaboration between a number of government departments and replaces the Labour Government’s 2010 policy New Horizons.
No Health Without Mental Health identifies six shared objectives:
1. More people will have better wellbeing and good mental health and fewer people will develop mental health problems.
2. More people with mental health problems will recover a good quality of life.
3. More people with mental health problems will have good physical health, fewer will die prematurely, and more people with physical ill health will have better mental health.
4. Improved services will result in fewer people suffering avoidable harm.
5. More people will have a positive experience of care wherever it takes place.
6. Public understanding of mental health problems will improve and fewer people will experience stigma and discrimination as a result of negative attitudes and behaviours to people with mental health problems.
No doubt this policy and the issues it addresses are ones to which we will return. In the meantime, all initial responses to No Health Without Mental Health are welcome!