Mental Health

Written by Kirsty Williams AM and published in Mid Wales Journal on Friday 26th Oct 2007 on Fri 26th Oct 2007

Although I am no longer a member of the Health and Social Services Committee, old habits die hard, and I am delighted that last week we saw proposals for the Assembly to have the power to make its own mental health laws accepted. This Legislative Competence Order seeks to draw law making powers from Westminster to Cardiff and give the Assembly the power to add and build upon the current mental health legislative framework. It is regrettable that time and opportunity has been wasted due to the previous Minister refusing to ask for framework powers over this subject when the legislation was going through parliament, but it is certainly better late than never. With approximately one in three people in Wales suffering from some form of mental illness at some stage in their life it is an area of law that will impact hugely upon the welsh population.

The proposals have cross party support and justifiably so, the draconian 2007 Mental Health Act drawn up in Westminster failed to provide fundamental modernisation of mental health law, and failed to promote equality for people with mental health problems. I feel a number of important changes need to be made and this measure will give us the power to draft laws that are appropriate for our nation. The legislation will not magically solve all problems within the sector; we need extra funding, excellence in clinical practice, more staff, improved commissioning and improved cross-boundary work between health and social services. However, good legislation will provide the foundations to build upon addressing these other problems.

One primary concern is the difficulty people with mental health problems have in finding employment. Not only does this impact upon their personal health, self-value and financial situation but it also has a wider impact upon our society and economy as a whole. Clearly a country comprising of a full work force benefits from a strong economy and a positive society. A recent report from the Healthcare Commission found that a staggering 20% of those using community mental services are in paid employment; only 49% of those seeking help in getting a job were offered any. This is particularly worrying as one of the most distressing aspects of suffering from a mental illness can be the resultant isolation from community, friends and relatives. Studies have shown that working can improve health whilst unemployment can severely worsen it. Clearly with such a high proportion of the population affected and the clear benefit to individuals and society as a whole greater investment should come from the government into helping those with mental health problems back into work. We must use the new powers that would come with the implementation of the measure to provide high quality local mental health services across Wales. We need to ensure employers have training in mental health awareness. We need to widen access to mental health specific job preparation and retention support for both voluntary and paid work. With up to 90% of those with ongoing mental health problems wishing to return to work we need the Welsh Assembly to pave the 'way' as the will is most definitely there and I hope Parliament will accept this worthy measure.