MP Column: Mental health care must be there when people need it most

In his first Prime Minister’s Questions last week, I asked Andy Burnham if he would work with me to strengthen adult and young people’s inpatient mental health provision in Bedford and Kempston and across our region, so that when people reach crisis point, they can access the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

Nobody should have to wait until they are at breaking point before they can get the help they need.

There has been real investment in Bedford’s NHS under Labour. From our Community Diagnostic Centre and Urgent Care Centre to funding for the Putnoe Walk-In Centre, we are strengthening local health services.

Just this summer, I attended the opening of the new NHS mental health Crisis House in Bedford. This is an important shift towards early intervention, bringing support closer to people and helping prevent problems from escalating into crisis.

But prevention and inpatient care are not alternatives. We need both.

Bedford lost a whole mental health wing from Bedford Hospital in 2017. While it is right that we invest in preventative and community-based services, there remain gaps in inpatient provision, particularly for children and adolescents.

That is why I raised this directly with the Prime Minister and the Health Secretary, alongside my wider concerns about the future pressures on Bedford Hospital from the new town plans for Tempsford and Universal Studios. I support growth and investment, but infrastructure must grow with it. If we are to make that growth sustainable, our hospital and wider NHS services must have the capacity to meet the needs of a growing population.

The challenges we face locally reflect a much wider issue. Demand for mental health support has risen sharply, particularly among children and young people.

The Government’s £343 million investment is designed to change that. It will support 100 new community mental health centres and 59 dedicated mental health emergency departments across England. The centres will bring together mental health and other support in local communities, making it easier to access help without a referral or a months-long wait.

The Mental Health Act is also being reformed to provide people with severe mental health conditions with better, more personalised treatment while keeping patients and the public safe. Thousands of additional mental health staff are being recruited, Mental Health Support Teams are being expanded to every school and college, and nearly six million children and young people can now access mental health support through their education setting. NHS Talking

The forthcoming cross-government mental health strategy provides an opportunity to look beyond the NHS alone and recognise the role of schools, employers, local government, housing and the voluntary sector in preventing poor mental health and supporting recovery.

For Bedford and Kempston, my focus will remain on making sure that whole pathway works — from prevention and early intervention in our communities, through to specialist and inpatient care when someone reaches crisis.

Because when that moment comes, people should not have to wonder where they can turn.