Boosting funding for Mental Health Services provided by the NHS is a vital step that Plaid Cymru is committed to delivering, according to the party’s Parliamentary candidate for Ceredigion, Ben Lake.
The party’s manifesto outlines plans to increase mental health expenditure by 5% annually for the next ten years, doubling the amount spent on a cumulative basis during that time. The party has also pledged to create a 24-hour Welsh Mental Health Crisis service in conjunction with emergency services for people with severe distress.
Although health and social care provision is a devolved matter, Plaid Cymru argues that funding decisions made in Westminster by the Tories directly affect what funding is available to be spent by Welsh Government.
Many patients are often left waiting extended periods to access community mental health services, and a lack of counsellors and psychiatrists in the area means that patients in the past have had to travel significant distances outside of their communities to access vital services.
Plaid Cymru Parliamentary candidate for Ceredigion, Ben Lake said:
“Greater support and investment is needed to help people facing mental health issues. There have been many cases of patients in Ceredigion having to travel significant distances to access mental health services and receive the support and guidance they need, with the services that are available locally to patients under immense strain.
“Plaid Cymru is committed to establishing a 24/7 Mental Health Crisis service for those in acute distress, working alongside the emergency services. We are committed also to helping prevent illness via better education in schools, and tackling the stigma and discrimination experienced by so many.
“We will also invest in improving community mental health services, including training more counsellors so that, where appropriate, alternatives to medication are available in all communities.”