World Mental Health Day 2024: Can young people in the UK feel optimistic about mental health support?

By Mark Spraggs, Managing Director of the Mental Health division at Lifeways. Lifeways’ mental health division supports 600 adults in England who have a primary diagnosis of mental health needs.

Here’s a question I was recently asked: Can a young person today in the UK feel optimistic about getting the mental health support they need?

With today, 10 October, being World Mental Health Day 2024, I’ll take the opportunity to answer with an initially unsatisfactory ‘yes’ – followed by ‘and no.’

Promises made

Let’s start with the ‘yes’ part of my answer. First, we’ve a new government, which has pledged to improve mental health provision.

This provision includes the recruitment of 8,500 new mental health staff across children’s and adult services, as well as more open access to mental health services for children and young people.

Then, less than three months later, we saw the release of the Darzi report, which examined the state of mental health services in England, alongside the wider health service.

On a local level, there’s also inspiring work happening across the country. One shining example is in Bristol, where the local integrated care system has set out an all-age mental health and wellbeing strategy (PDF link).

Shared vision

The strategy is co-produced and co-owned by people with lived experience and their families, community representatives, voluntary sector organisations, statutory health and social care providers, wider mental health stakeholders, and commissioners.

The vision in Bristol is summarised by their two mantras: ‘healthier together by working together’ and ‘better mental health for all.’

Instead of asking individuals to navigate a complex web of services on their own, this initiative wraps support around the person, ensuring they receive the help they need from all sides.

Where do young people benefit here? By an increasingly joined-up network of individuals and organisations working together for the benefit of people with mental health needs.

We need more of this joined-up approach – especially as demand for mental health services continues to grow.

Complex challenges

Now, let’s look at the ‘no’ part of my answer. As our Lifeways chief executive Andrea Kinkade noted in a letter to the Health Secretary back in July, the NHS spends less than £1 out of every £10 on mental health.

What’s more, the funding models we operate under remain rigid. Funding does not always change with the ever-evolving needs of a person requiring mental health support.

Hear Mark's thoughts about mental health provision in the UK - and reasons to be optimistic.

This inflexibility most deeply affects those suffering from anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders.

And we as providers – whether independent, voluntary, or in the public sector – often fail to work together as well as we should.

As a result, people with mental health needs often feel they are being passed from pillar to post, with a disjointed patchwork of support – for example, getting a GP appointment, a counselling session, a months-long wait for an assessment, or a stay in a secure unit.

Too many people know what it’s like to repeat their story, time and time again, without feeling that there’s any oversight or overall responsibility.

These are the people who, without proper support, may see their conditions worsen, leading to long-term, serious health issues.

Over my three decades in mental health, I’ve been continually frustrated to witness cases where people did not get the right support – or didn’t get support on time – which could have prevented so much unnecessary suffering.

Collective responsibility

We providers have a responsibility to ensure that the next generation doesn’t face the same barriers and challenges we’re dealing with now.

As we mark World Mental Health Day 2024, my message is clear: the key to making lasting improvements is collaboration.

And who cares for the carers? Key to making lasting improvements is not just for people who need mental health support. It’s also for the 11,000 people we at Lifeways employ, alongside colleagues in our sector.

We cannot fulfil our ambition to be the provider and employer of choice without addressing mental health challenges in the communities and in our own workplace.

We need a unified vision at the national level. We need government, commissioners, and care providers to come together with the same commitment to joined-up care.

Only then can we build a system that is truly responsive to the needs of those we support.

The solutions to better mental health for all are there – we just need the collective will to put them into action.

If you’re a leader in the mental health sector, I’d love to hear your own ideas. Please reach out to me directly. 

Email Mark

About Lifeways:

Lifeways is the UK’s largest team of support professionals providing support for adults in the community.

We support adults with diverse and complex needs, including learning disabilities, autism, physical disabilities, acquired brain injuries, and mental health conditions.

Lifeways delivers support across three divisions: supported living, residential and mental health services.

As the supported living sector’s largest team of professionals, Lifeways’ extensive experience and national reach mean we deliver extraordinary support to adults, enabling them to live fulfilling and independent lives in the community. 

Our 11,000 colleagues currently support around 4,000 individuals who live in our 1,500 supported living and residential services across England, Scotland, and Wales. 

Follow us on:

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Youtube