Labour’s plans for mental health, what can we expect from the new government?

As the King prepares to officially open Parliament, setting out the agenda for the year ahead, now is a good time to look at what we can expect from the new government.

Most of the country will be scrutinizing what Labour has to offer the UK in terms of growth for the country and how they will tackle major issues, such as the cost-of-living crisis and the underfunded NHS.

And with the UK facing a mental health crisis like never before, Bertrand Stern-Gillet, CEO at Health Assured, looks at how the new government plans to address this.

“Labour has said they will be putting mental health on the same level at physical health. 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health challenge of some kind every year in the UK, including depression, anxiety, and OCD. It’s important that the government prioritises providing stable mental health support foundations with appropriate mental health support that people can access quickly and effectively.

“Wes Streeting, the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has said that a Labour government would make the NHS ‘fit for the future’, while the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has described the NHS as ‘broken’.

What are Labour’s main aims for mental health?

“Labour has made some big claims around better mental health support within the UK. They aim to recruit 8,500 additional mental health staff in their first term of service, deliver an extra million NHS appointments a year, and reducing waiting times for people waiting for health care.

“In recent years, we have seen a spike in mental health patients being treated poorly because of stigma and discrimination. Labour has said their plans ensure that everyone is treated with respect and dignity throughout treatments, including mental health treatment.

“The government has indicated a desire to increase early intervention to help prevent mental health crises from spiralling. This prevention over cure method is a way of dealing with mental health problems before they become too much, alleviating stress from the NHS and giving people early access to support services. With less people at crisis point, we have a healthier country and a less stretched health service.

What about children’s mental health?

“Labour has big plans for a positive mental health growth for children and, in their words, their plan will ‘create the healthiest generation of children ever.’

“They have promised to cut waiting times for children to access better mental health care, whilst also providing mental health support in schools. Funding for this will come from their plans to abolish tax breaks for private schools.

“Similarly to adult mental health, Labour will look to prioritise preventative measures rather than dealing with children at crisis point. They propose to create young future hubs in every community and the 8,500 staff they plan to recruit in the NHS will also go towards specially trained staff for CAMHS and NHS talk therapies.

What about the mental health of workers?

Several of the proposed changes to employment law are focused on family friendly policies and improving work/life balance, all of which help to support good mental health. Some of the key policies include:

• The right to disconnect

Labour will bring in the right to disconnect, allowing UK employees to switch off from work out of hours and protecting workers from remote surveillance. France was the first country to introduce this right in 2017; since then, other countries including Italy, Australia and Canada have passed similar laws. The premise of the right to disconnect is that employers cannot expect employees to engage in work related communications outside of their working hours, giving them the ability to switch off and disconnect. Everyone deserves time to rest and recuperate outside of their working hours. Ignoring this could be detrimental to mental health and risks the likelihood of poor mental wellbeing, stress, and burnout.

• Zero-hour contracts

Labour have said that they plan to ban ‘exploitative’ zero-hour contracts, giving workers more autonomy and clarity over their working contracts and conditions. While zero-contracts can be beneficial to both employer and employee when done correctly, there have been many cases where companies have used them in an exploitative way. And it’s this practice that the new government is looking to ban, rather than zero-hours contracts themselves. Without the security of certain hours within their employment contract, zero-hour contacts can create and exacerbate feelings of stress, pressure, and anxiety, leaving workers concerned as to how they are going to pay their bills and feed their families without the guarantee of regular work.

• Boost in wages

The government has also pledged to boost pay across the country. Amid an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, fair pay is key to ensuring that people can stay in work, subsequently improving standards of living and increasing better mental health. Financial pressures have a significant impact on mental health; at Health Assured we’ve seen this clearly demonstrated in the increased number of calls to our helpline regarding financial concerns. As we reach the halfway point of 2024, we’ve already received almost the same number of calls on financial concerns received over the entire year in 2021. Our anticipated increase is 5% YoY, which will represent a 76% increase in just 3 years.

• Menopause support

All workplaces will be required to have a Menopause Action Plan in place, setting out support measures for employees going through menopause. We know that this time of life can bring huge challenges when it comes to mental wellbeing, so ensuring that workplace support is in place is key.