Liberal Democrat Herts County Councillor, Nick Hollinghurst, calls for “Far greater resources for Psychiatric Care”

Cllr Nick Hollinghurst, who represents Tring and the Villages on Hertfordshire County Council, recently received a mailing from The Samaritans and was shocked by what he read. "Did you know that suicide is the biggest cause of death in young people? I didn't and I'm shocked to find that out.

"According to the Office for National Statistics over 1,500 young people took their own lives in 2014. Furthermore The Samaritans estimate that as many as six young people in every classroom have considered suicide. This is backed up by an NUS survey, as quoted by the Guardian, and the Independent who reported that student suicides are at their highest level since 2007."

Cllr Hollinghurst added "This should not be happening. When Norman Lamb was a Lib Dem Health Minister in the Coalition, he took steps to introduce the concept of "Parity of Esteem" between patients suffering from mental illness and those suffering from physical illness. He demanded that access to treatment and clinical resources and the effectiveness of treatment for mental illnesses should all be drastically improved. Alas, now the Coalition has been replaced by a Conservative government, these long overdue improvements to the provision of mental health services have ground to a halt."

"Hertfordshire County Council runs a Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) which is tasked with providing advice, treatment and care to distressed young people. It is meant to work with the NHS, with the County's Social Services and with Schools and Colleges to help identify young people suffering from mental health problems. It should then ensure they get support and treatment while efforts are made to resolve any social, psychological or relationship problems. However, as elsewhere in the County, CAMHS has been slowly starved of resources and is no longer able to respond promptly to emergencies or developing situations."

Cllr Hollinghurst concluded "This is a national scandal. Psychiatric care in the UK has long been inadequate and poorly funded. We need far greater resources and a radical programme to provide modern psychiatric facilities dedicated to small clusters of schools, attached to higher education institutions and FE colleges. In addition specialised units should be permanently attached to prisons and detention centres."

"Investment in better mental health provision for the young just has to be a good investment. Mental health problems spread disruption and misery well beyond the affected individual and effective early intervention can head off expensive and damaging social problems later on.

"We need a national co-ordinated roll-out of these new facilities and units without further delay!"