Manifesto by Nurses: what next for mental health?
Progress has undoubtedly been made in recent years on opening up conversations about mental health and encouraging people to seek help when they need it, but serious challenges remain.
Failings in mental health care are still frequently reported, services are struggling to keep up with demand while world events like the Covid-19 pandemic have placed extra strain on people’s wellbeing.
Meanwhile, recent controversial comments from ministers suggesting that the “mental health culture” in the UK has “gone too far” have sparked concern about the good work to reduce stigma around mental health being unravelled. Shortages of mental health nurses are also a major issue.
With a general election on the horizon, Nursing Times wants to hear ideas from the nursing profession on how the next government should be approaching mental health.
Your ideas will form the latest chapter of our Manifesto by Nurses, which we plan to deliver to the parities that stand in the election.
Questions that you could look to answer include:
- What policies do you want to see from the next government to support the nation’s mental health and wellbeing?
- What can be done to ensure services are able to meet the current and future demand of mental health patients and provide good quality care?
- How can the next government ensure enough nurses choose a career in mental health nursing?
- What steps need to be taken to secure and maintain parity of esteem between mental health and physical health services?
To provide your ideas for the mental health chapter, click or tap here to take part before Monday, 27 May.
Alternatively, you can send your ideas in no more than 300 words to nursingtimesmanifesto@gmail.com, along with your full name, job role, location and a high-resolution picture of yourself.
Please note that, by doing so, you are agreeing to be potentially named, quoted and pictured in Nursing Times, both online and in our print publications.
Nursing Times has been collating the Manifesto by Nurses since October 2023, with previous chapters covering the key topics of nursing workforce shortages, protecting the future of the NHS, nurse education, public health, sustainability and social care.
