Attached press release from Welsh Assembly Minister of Health Jane Hutt following address to MINDs annual conference held in Cardiff last week, where she recognised that mental health had been 'neglected for far too long' and now is a top priority for the government
David McDaid
LSE Health and Social Care
Mental health is a top priority for the Welsh Assembly Government
Mental health has been neglected for far too long, said Welsh Health Minister Jane Hutt today (12 November) when she addressed MIND's 2002 annual conference being held in Cardiff for the first time.
Addressing the conference she said: "Having a mental health problem affects one in four of us. It is an area of policy that has been neglected for too long but, with your guidance and support, we are now taking some important steps towards correcting that in Wales.
"I believe that we have begun laying the foundations for a truly integrated mental health system. A system that will change the relationship between those agencies so that services are delivered in a better and more efficient way centring on the needs of the service user.
"Ensuring good mental health is vital to us all and involves not just health and social services and the voluntary sector but also housing, education, employment and the voluntary organisations specialising in these areas. Here in Wales we are working to ensure a co-ordinated approach to tackling some of the deep-rooted problems that have existed for many years.
"The Welsh Assembly Government has made mental health one of our top three health priorities and we have now developed mental health strategies for both Children and Adolescents as well as for Adults. A National Service Framework for Wales was also launched in May this year for Adult Mental Health Services and this underpins the principles established in our adult mental health strategy document.
"Together the strategy and the NSF form the framework by which mental health services will be assessed, monitored and judged over the next decade. Good effective mental health promotion underpins the successful delivery of the whole of the NSF. We want to build inclusive and tolerant communities in which people with mental health problems can live, socialise, study, work, participate and enjoy the same opportunities and access to resources as everyone else.
"We are determined to ensure that the stigma and discrimination faced by people with mental health problems is tackled and stopped."
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