26
June 2024
General Election manifesto response
The General Election is a week away. At Think Ahead, we believe that transforming the mental health workforce is key to tackling the mental health crisis.
In November last year, we published our own manifesto ‘Workforce Matters’, based on research with our trainee social workers, people with lived experience of services, operational leaders in the NHS and local authorities, and evidence from leading health and mental health organisations.
The case was clear: there are not enough people, not enough resources, and there is a lack of connection between services, despite the integration agenda.
Here we’ve compared what the main parties set out to do with our own manifesto.
Grow
A key issue is staffing shortages across the mental health workforce. There are not enough practitioners, which means longer waiting lists, and pressure on current staff who may not be able to respond in the way they want due to time restraints.
We therefore welcome some of the commitments to growing the workforce from the main political parties: Labour has committed to recruiting 8,500 additional mental health staff.
This is encouraging, but it is crucial that these practitioners’ skills and roles match the needs of the communities they serve and that social work and non-clinical roles are part of that workforce. Mental health provision must be informed by the social approach and not just rely on clinical intervention.
The Conservative’s continued commitment to expanding Individual Placement and Support by 140,000 places is encouraging.
At Think Ahead, we have been driving the recruitment of IPS practitioners to meet the growing demand for employment support for people with mental health conditions. We know that when employment support is person-centred, safe, and appropriate, it can transform people’s lives.
Invest
Recruitment is important, but it is only part of the solution. Our manifesto speaks to the need to invest in the people we already have, providing them with the support and opportunities to retain them long-term. Unfortunately, less attention was given to retention in the party manifestos.
We welcome Labour’s commitment to more NHS appointments, across evenings and weekends, as we recognise the increased anxiety and worsening of symptoms that often occur for people on waiting lists.
However, we encourage every party to consider the impact on practitioners, and that any expansion of services is matched with increased resources.
Both the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party call for a properly independent pay review body to ensure appropriate pay. But any conversation around pay needs to be alongside increased access to training and opportunities, so that people can see and understand their career trajectory, rewarding continued commitment to their communities.
Connect
We welcome a commitment to community-based care, which is seen across across the main political party manifestos. People’s mental ill-health does not occur in isolation, and neither should the services which support them. It is crucial that housing, domestic abuse, employment and education are all part of a ‘whole system’ approach to provision.
We welcome Labour’s policy to trial Neighbourhood Health Centres, bringing together existing services such as family doctors, district nurses, and care workers. Equally, Young Futures Hubs would provide much-needed mental health support and a preventative approach for children and young people in the community. In a similar vein, the Conservatives plan to build 50 community diagnostic centres.
Social workers are an essential part of community-based care – their person-centred approach means they can help resolve social issues that so often affect our mental health.
We hope to see any incoming government make investments that reflect the vital role social workers play in mental health teams.
Understandably, the NHS is a priority for all the main political parties. Still, mental health must be part of that conversation – and must be rooted in social care and communities, too. Properly resourced mental health provision is not a “nice to have”; it’s an essential part of a healthy, thriving economy and society. We hope that any incoming government’s priorities and actions reflect that.