Today is World Mental Health Day and as proud supporters of Mind Charity, we wanted to share an article they wrote today that sheds light on the extent of the crisis the mental healthcare system is facing. It details the sheer volume of incidents mental health professionals are faced with, with a serious incident being reported twice every hour in the last year and totalling 17,340 cases.
Responding to the data, Dr Sarah Hughes, the Chief Executive of Mind, said:
“It is deeply worrying that healthcare staff across the country are so concerned about the situation in mental health settings that they are reporting a serious incident once every half an hour. We knew this was a crisis – now we know the scale of this crisis. People seek mental healthcare to get well, not to endure harm. Families are being let down by a system that’s supposed to protect their loved ones when they are most sick. The consequences can be and have been fatal.
“Too many people are bearing the brunt of the crisis in mental health services, including those who are powerless within the system because they are detained for treatment. It is clear these failings are systemic. But it does not have to be this way - good mental health hospitals do exist, and people can be given a say in their treatment but proper care must be available across the board.
“It is time to raise the standard. The UK government has the chance to act by passing the Mental Health Bill before the next General Election and prioritising mental health in their political choices and funding decisions. Politicians must not stand by and allow one more person to go through this suffering. They owe it to every family that is picking up the pieces of a broken system.”
We continue to support Mind, and if you would also like to help via a donation, here is the link to the relevant page:
https://www.mind.org.uk/donate/
A link to the full article can be found here: https://www.mind.org.uk/news-campaigns/news/mind-reveals-true-extent-of-crisis-in-mental-healthcare-with-more-than-17-000-reports-of-serious-incidents-in-past-year-alone/