Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan has called on the government to urgently invest in children’s wellbeing following the release of NHS statistics showing children suffering mental health crises spent more than 900,000 hours in A&E in England last year.
In a Westminster debate on support for bereaved children, Mr Morgan said that the government is letting down young people struggling with their mental health with thousands stuck on lengthy Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) waiting lists.
During the debate, Mr Morgan described the issue of child bereavement as one that highlights the urgent need for greater mental health support structures in place for struggling children.
The city MP called for the government to adopt Labour’s plan to give children access to professional mental health counsellors in every school.
The plan would see a full-time mental health professional in every secondary school and a part time professional in every primary school.
This would ensure that pupil wellbeing is supported and issues can be resolved before they escalate.
Mr Morgan’s party will also deliver a new model of open-access youth mental health hubs with an open door for all young people, investing in child mental health beyond simply responding when children reach crisis point.
Under successive Conservative government’s children’s mental health has been ignored with the number of young people stuck on lengthy CAMHs waiting lists growing across the country.
Commenting Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said:
“Losing a loved one can be devastating for any child. It’s therefore so important that support is there for bereaved children to know they aren’t alone to deal with their loss, including dedicated help when needed.
“Sadly, in recent years the Government has failed to provide a wellbeing safety net, with thousands of children across the country waiting far too long for support.
“Labour has set out a plan to ensure that all struggling young people, including bereaved children, receive professional support quickly. I urge the Government to do the same.”
As part of a wider package of reform, a Labour government will oversee an expansion in the mental health workforce, resulting in more than 1 million more people receiving support each year. The party will set a new NHS target to ensure that patients start receiving appropriate treatment, not simply an initial assessment of needs, within a month of referral.
You can watch Stephen call on the government to urgently invest in children’s wellbeing here.
