NHS Long-term Plan Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateLord Bishop of Carlisle
Main Page: Lord Bishop of Carlisle (Bishops - Bishops)Department Debates - View all Lord Bishop of Carlisle's debates with the Department of Health and Social Care
(5 years, 4 months ago)
Lords ChamberMy Lords, as a former member of the Long-Term Sustainability of the NHS Committee, I welcome the long-term plan and the Government’s response to it. I am especially glad that mental health issues will achieve financial parity with physical health issues. Does the Minister agree that research into and attention to the causes of these ever-increasing issues is as important as more spending on their treatment?
As ever, the right reverend Prelate is insightful in his question. He is right that although we have made a lot of progress in improving services, we were coming from a low base. One of the challenges is not understanding why there is such an increase in the challenges we face. This is why the NIHR has dramatically increased the amount of funding it provides to mental health research, and why other important organisations, such as the Wellcome Trust, are prioritising mental health research as a matter of urgency.