Putting mental health at the heart of recovery from Covid-19

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Centre for Mental Health news


** July 2020
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Hello from Sarah!
Dear Friends,

Now we are at the height of summer and social distancing rules are allowing people more flexibility, I hope you are getting some time out and about seeing friends and family. We are of course not out of the woods yet, but it is good to be able to be with people we care about again.

We had some very sad news this month. You will have seen that our Vice President Lady Elizabeth Vallance has passed away after a short illness. We will miss her support and drive. Elizabeth was my friend as well as colleague and I will miss her humour and generosity deeply. We have published a tribute to her on our website which you can find here ([link removed]) . We send our love and prayers to her husband Iain and the Vallance family.

You will see our work continues to tackle the big issues of our times: equality, the economy and people's real experiences. Our most recent publication about the Spending Review ([link removed]) tells us an important story about the increased costs related to health and social care over the years. Our Chief economist Nick O’Shea strongly recommends that the Government design a Spending Review for wellbeing to enable the country to truly meet the needs of those most vulnerable and so we will be campaigning on this point over the coming weeks – please join us.

Take care and see you soon.

Sarah
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A Spending Review for wellbeing ([link removed])

Mental ill health has an economic and social cost of £119 billion a year. The 2020 Spending Review is an important opportunity to put people’s health first in the wake of Covid-19.

A Spending Review for wellbeing sets out six key proposals for improving mental health in England, including funding specialist counselling for people bereaved by still birth or baby loss and investment in local authority public health services such as Sure Start Centres.

Download the report ([link removed])

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Mental health and Primary Care Networks ([link removed])

How can we use Primary Care Networks to improve mental health support for people in primary care?

Mental health and primary care, published jointly by Centre for Mental Health and The King’s Fund, finds that current provision of mental health support in general practice is variable and often inadequate. This report explores the opportunities these new networks create for improving the mental health support provided to people in primary care, and describes why such improvement is badly needed.

Download the report ([link removed])
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Andy Bell talks to Beccy Baird, Senior Fellow at The King's Fund, about our joint report on Primary Care Networks and how they can be used to improve mental health support for people in primary care.

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Covid-19 and the nation's mental health: July 2020 ([link removed])

Our second forecast of the mental health impacts of the pandemic warns that the combination of a possible rise in Covid-19 cases combined with seasonal flu, the absence of financial safety nets such as the furlough scheme, and a no-deal Brexit may affect the whole UK economy and have a major knock-on effect on mental health.

We're calling on the Government and the NHS to take urgent action to prevent mental health difficulties wherever possible and to reach out to people who need support before they reach a crisis.

Download the report ([link removed])
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Chief Executive Sarah Hughes shares the findings of our new briefing, the second in a series of forecasts of the mental health implications of Covid-19

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Commission for Equality in Mental Health Briefing 2: Access to mental health support ([link removed])

Why are groups that face higher levels of poor mental health experiencing the greatest difficulty in accessing services? And what can we do to ensure that everyone is able to access the right mental health support for them?

The Commission for Equality’s second briefing explores inequalities in access to mental health services, identifying the factors that make services inaccessible, and sharing ideas that could improve access to support for people who experience inequalities.

This briefing was written prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

Download the report ([link removed])

A Year in Our Lives 2020 ([link removed])
It's been fantastic to read all the submissions that have come in so far for our storytelling project A Year In Our Lives 2020. We will begin publishing accounts in August, but submissions are open ([link removed]) until January 2021 so there's still plenty of time to share your story with us.

To build a picture of the pandemic's impact on mental health we need to hear from as many people and perspectives as possible.
Find out more about sharing your story here ([link removed]) and help us spread the word to your friends, families, workplaces and communities

Blogs
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Building parity of esteem: why mental health hospitals need equal priority for modernisation ([link removed])
Liz Romaniak explains how we can support patients' recovery by investing in mental health facilities

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Understanding the mental health needs of people leaving the Armed Forces ([link removed])
Andy unpacks recent Forces in Mind Trust research on mental health needs among people who've served in the Army

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Learning to live in lockdown ([link removed])
Androulla reflects on the impact the pandemic is having on our wellbeing, and shares her lessons from lockdown

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Health, work and Covid-19: why we must avoid repeating the mistakes of the past ([link removed])
Jeremy Clarke explains why a joined-up approach to employment and mental health is vital to reach the people who need it most

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Levelling up for mental health ([link removed])
Louis argues that tackling health inequalities is vital to improve the life chances of people who have been left behind by a decade of austerity

News
* Centre for Mental Health calls on Government to set a Budget for Wellbeing as cost of mental ill health in England reaches £119 billion ([link removed])
* Government obesity strategy misses key elements in supporting healthy weight management for all ([link removed])
* More and better mental health support needed in GP surgeries following pandemic ([link removed])
* Lady Elizabeth Vallance: A tribute from Centre for Mental Health ([link removed])
* Government and NHS need to prepare for rising tide of mental health difficulties this winter ([link removed])
* Equal access to mental health support must be at the heart of recovery from Covid-19, says Commission for Equality ([link removed])

Local Authority Mental Health Challenge webinar

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Local councils are at the frontline of responding to their communities’ needs, at all times but especially during the pandemic. The Local Authority Mental Health Challenge hosted a webinar especially for council members to share ideas and examples of actions, latest research and answer questions about how to support people’s mental health at this most difficult of times.

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Help us support those at the frontline of this mental health crisis ([link removed])

We know that the coronavirus pandemic is a physical health emergency on a global scale, such as we have never seen in our lifetimes. But it is also a mental health emergency. Our high quality, evidence-based research, evaluation and policy advice has never been more important during this time of uncertainty. Now more than ever, your support is so valuable.

Support us today ([link removed])

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We hope you've enjoyed hearing about our work bringing equality for mental health closer.

We'd love to hear your feedback and suggestions for this newsletter and our digital presence - drop me an email at ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected] )
.

Best wishes,

Alethea Joshi
Digital & Communications Lead
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