Agenda item

Mental Health

It was moved by Councillor Richard Shaw, seconded by Councillor Roger Davison, that this Council:-

(a)       notes that one in four people will suffer with mental health problems at some point during their lives;

(b)       notes that despite their prevalence, mental health problems are still stigmatised in today’s society;

(c)       praises the previous Government’s work to improve the status of mental health, including measures such as:

(i)        introducing the first waiting time targets for mental health treatment;

(ii)       putting an extra £1.25bn into children and adolescent mental health services;

(iii)      improving access to talking therapies and early intervention; and

(iv)      improving diversion of people with mental health problems from the criminal justice system;

(d)       believes there is much more work needed to be done to achieve a parity of esteem for mental and physical health problems;

(e)       recognises the increasing pressure health and social care budgets are facing in the next 5 years;

(f)        fears that unless more than the £8 billion to cover the initial shortfall in the health and social care budget is granted to the NHS, this historic opportunity to build on the previous Government’s good work on mental health will be lost;

(g)       notes the concern of the Mental Health Policy Group that the £1.25 billion, earmarked in the previous Government’s March 2015 budget for children’s mental health services, may not be found; and

(h)       therefore:

(i)          urges the Chancellor of the Exchequer to recommit to providing the £1.25 billion in the emergency budget on 8th July; and

(ii)         calls for a copy of this motion to be sent to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Health.

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Mary Lea, seconded by Councillor Olivia Blake, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.          the deletion of paragraph (c) and the addition of a new paragraph (c) as follows:-

(c)       welcomes any positive actions taken to improve treatment for mental health, however regrets that yet again the previous Government’s record does not match the rhetoric put forward by the main opposition group on this Council, and reminds the main opposition group of reports in 2012, by leading mental health charities, that spending on mental health had fallen under the previous Government for the first time in a decade, and that, under the previous Government, there were thousands fewer mental health nurses and hundreds fewer mental health doctors in the NHS, and that a recent Health Service Journal survey found 3,640 fewer nurses and 213 fewer doctors working in mental health in April this year compared to staffing levels two years ago;

2.        the deletion of paragraph (f) and the addition of a new paragraph (f) as follows:-

(f)        fears that, unless more than the £8 billion initial shortfall in Health and Social Care budgets is granted to the NHS Health and Local Government Social Care Budgets, all people needing health and social care now and in the future will suffer.

On being put to the vote, the amendment was carried.

(Note: Councillors Aodan Marken, Brian Webster, Robert Murphy and Sarah Jane Smalley voted for part 2 and abstained on part 1 of the amendment and asked for this to be recorded.)

The original Motion, as amended, was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:-

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)       notes that one in four people will suffer with mental health problems at some point during their lives;

(b)       notes that despite their prevalence, mental health problems are still stigmatised in today’s society;

(c)        welcomes any positive actions taken to improve treatment for mental health, however regrets that yet again the previous Government’s record does not match the rhetoric put forward by the main opposition group on this Council, and reminds the main opposition group of reports in 2012, by leading mental health charities, that spending on mental health had fallen under the previous Government for the first time in a decade, and that, under the previous Government, there were thousands fewer mental health nurses and hundreds fewer mental health doctors in the NHS, and that a recent Health Service Journal survey found 3,640 fewer nurses and 213 fewer doctors working in mental health in April this year compared to staffing levels two years ago;

(d)       believes there is much more work needed to be done to achieve a parity of esteem for mental and physical health problems;

(e)       recognises the increasing pressure health and social care budgets are facing in the next 5 years;

(f)        fears that, unless more than the £8 billion initial shortfall in Health and Social Care budgets is granted to the NHS Health and Local Government Social Care Budgets, all people needing health and social care now and in the future will suffer;

(g)       notes the concern of the Mental Health Policy Group that the £1.25 billion, earmarked in the previous Government’s March 2015 budget for children’s mental health services, may not be found; and

(h)       therefore:

(i)         urges the Chancellor of the Exchequer to recommit to providing the £1.25 billion in the emergency budget on 8^th July; and

(ii)        calls for a copy of this motion to be sent to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Health.

(Notes: 1.Councillors Richard Shaw, Rob Frost, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Roger Davison, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Ian Auckland, Steve Ayris, Denise Reaney, David Baker, Katie Condliffe and Vickie Priestley voted for paragraphs (a), (b) and (d) to (h) and against paragraph (c) of the Substantive Motion and asked for this to be recorded. 

2. Councillors Aodan Marken, Brian Webster, Robert Murphy and Sarah Jane Smalley voted for paragraphs (a), (b) and (d) to (h) and abstained on paragraph (c) of the Substantive Motion and asked for this to be recorded. 

3. Councillors Pauline Andrews, Jack Clarkson, Keith Davis and John Booker

voted for paragraphs (a), (b), (d), (e), (g) and (h) and against paragraphs (c) and (f) of the Substantive Motion and asked for this to be recorded.)