Cliff Notes
- Dr Sarah Hughes of Mind charity critiques government plans as “not ambitious enough”, highlighting a crisis in mental health cases at A&E amid rising waiting times and significantly decreased bed availability.
- The report shows a staggering 380% increase in waits of 12 hours or more for mental health beds over the past five years, prompting concerns about resource allocation and community service effectiveness.
- The Department for Health and Social Care defends its initiatives, including a £26 million investment aimed at improving mental health support and reducing waiting lists, while facing skepticism from advocates about the sufficiency of these measures.
Plans to tackle mental health crisis ‘not ambitious enough’, charity boss tells Sky News | UK News
Government plans to strengthen mental health services are “not ambitious enough”, a charity head has told Sky News.
Dr Sarah Hughes, chief executive of mental health charity Mind, spoke to The UK Tonight with Sarah-Jane Mee after a report on mental health cases at A&E reaching crisis levels.
Sky’s health correspondent Ashish Joshi reported that waiting times for these cases have risen, and overnight beds in mental health units are down almost 3,700 in a decade.
