Ruth meets Mind volunteers

Submitted by admin on

Ruth Cadbury meets local people with mental health problems and seeks to ‘raise the bar’ for mental health in Brentford and IsleworthRuth Cadbury recently met people with living with mental health problems from London, to hear of their experiences of support and treatment.The event - ‘Mental Health: Raising the Bar’ - was organised by national mental health charity Mind and took place in the House of Commons, with the aim of promoting conversations between people with mental health problems, local Minds responsible for providing services and policymakers.Ruth, MP for Brentford and Isleworth listened to the experiences of people affected by poor mental healthRuth said:"I met Mind volunteers who have or have had mental health problems and they described their concerns about the current state, and their fears for the future of, mental health services in London.  This resonates with what I had also learned from my earlier meetings with the Chief Execs of our hospital and mental health Trusts locally.  The Government's promise of additional mental health support has not materialised, and instead and we are seeing  the cutting back of esstential acute care as well as support and advice for people in recovery, or needing early intervention.  This is not fair for people who are ill, nor is right that the police and A&E services are having to bear the brunt of inadequate mental health support when people reach a crisis".Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, said:“Mental health problems can affect anyone, no matter what their background. All main political parties have recognised the scale of the problem, but after decades of neglect and underfunding there’s still a great deal of unmet need. Every day we hear from people struggling to access the support they need.“We are really pleased that Ruth Cadbury took the time to listen to people’s first-hand experiences as well as find out more about some of the work our local Minds do to support people in Brentford and Isleworth. By participating in this event, we hope that MPs recognise the importance of mental health and the vital role they play in ensuring that those of us living with mental health problems in London get the services and support they need to recover, stay well and lead fulfilling lives.”About Mind:• Mind, the mental health charity. Provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. Campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. www.mind.org.uk• Mind has a confidential information and support line, Mind Infoline, available on 0300 123 3393 (lines open 9am - 6pm, Monday – Friday)