Statistics show that one in four of us will experience a diagnosable mental health problem during our lifetime, yet in spite of this, Wales is still struggling to get to grips with overcoming stigma and ensuring that people have access to high quality services.
The Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010 was a ground breaking piece of legislation that came into force in 2012. It was supported on a cross-party basis in the Senedd and it is clear that mental health services in Wales have improved as a result. However, unfortunately a recently published report by the Health and Social Service Committee at the National Assembly for Wales which looked at the impact of the new law has concluded that there is still much work to be done.
It revealed that demand for mental health services in Wales is high, but that the standard of engagement and support for those with mental health needs is inconsistent across the country. This growing demand for mental health treatment is not currently being met and many in Wales are waiting for very long periods of time for access to treatment and support, and the British Psychological Society has highlighted a postcode lottery in access to psychological therapy waiting times which vary dramatically across Wales.
The constant focus in the media on waiting times for physical ailments helps to focus the minds of politicians and NHS bosses on working to bring them down, but access to mental health services just don't seem to get the same attention.
A report into Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) published in November stated that variation across Wales for young people’s services was also a problem.
It said that services were lacking resources and that teams are unable to deliver the level of care and support that they want to due to a lack of recognition by Health Boards of the importance of CAMHS provision. It is this lack of attention from those who run the NHS which has resulted in no substantial increase in CAMHS funding since 2008 with the latest figures showed just £13.94 being spent per head on CAMHS compared to £82.75 per head on general mental illness.
If a young person's mental illness isn't properly dealt with then the longer-term repercussions can be considerable for them and society as a whole - so it is essential that services for young people in Wales are as responsive and effective as possible and that resources are available to support them.
But commitments to ring fencing mental health spending are being overlooked by Health Boards. Figures from Stats Wales show that the amount spent on mental health in Wales has consistently fallen since the 2010-2011 financial year, from £641.8m to £617.5m in 2012-13. Without enforcement by the Welsh Government to ensure sufficient investment on mental health service the situation looks unlikely to change in the short term
But it's not just funding that's a problem. Whilst a recent Gofal service users survey recognised the continuing improvements that are being made in relation to mental health services in Wales, worryingly it also found that one in 10 GPs do not understand or are insufficiently empathetic to mental ill health issues and, more alarmingly, a quarter of other staff in primary care are insufficiently understanding or empathetic of people’s concerns. These are very challenging findings and need to be addressed urgently.
The survey also found that a growing proportion of people are simply having pharmaceutical interventions rather than some of the psychological interventions available. Throwing tablets at mental health problems rarely solves them in the longer term and it is vital that we see a greater emphasis on alternatives such as talking therapies and mindfulness (which can also help to prevent mental ill health and promote wellbeing and productivity).
The overall cost of mental health problems in Wales in 2007/8 has been estimated to be many billions each year. Spending extra to promote good mental health and timely access to treatment is surely a better investment than dealing with more complex problems further down the line.
Let's hope that there can be more cross-party working to secure proper attention and resources for mental health services in the future so that Wales can meet its aspirations to lead the way on this issue in the UK.