LibLink: Norman Lamb on a mission

 

Over on Huffington Post, Norman Lamb has written about his campaign to end discrimination against mental health.

The Liberal Democrats are on a mission to end the discrimination against mental health. From Paul Burstow who changed the law to give mental health equality with physical health to my work ensuring there is proper mental health crisis care available across the country.

Nick Clegg has announced the first ever waiting time standards, ending Labour’s discrimination against mental health that meant it missed out when money was tight. And we’ve committed over a billion pounds to revolutionise children’s mental health. In the next parliament we will go further and invest at least £3.5billion to guarantee better support for people with mental health problems – and improve wellbeing and mental health for everyone.

He writes about the mental health needs of military veterans.

… mental illness can affect ex-service men and women of all ages, and in many different ways. I have heard many of their stories, and I know that one of the most pernicious problems is the stigma they often feel in asking for help. This can lead to a dangerous and destructive spiral, leaving in its wake anything from damaged and broken relationship to the desperation of drug and alcohol abuse. Far too often, it also leads to homelessness, with figures from the British Legion suggesting that around six in every 100 homeless Londoners are veterans.

It’s simply not good enough to leave our thanks for veterans to a few days a year. Those who have given so much of themselves to help keep Britain safe deserve more than occasional warm words and a pat on the back. They deserve to get all the help and support they need to be safe and well. Liberal Democrats will make sure they get it.