Today, thousands of young people are writing to the Chancellor, calling on the Government to invest in early mental health support in the Spending Review.
We have seen an alarming rise in the number of five-to-16-year-olds with a mental health problem, from one in nine in 2017 to one in six in 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to even greater need, leaving services significantly overstretched.
Fewer than 40 per cent of those under the age of 17 with a mental health condition are able to access NHS help. This is why we are calling on the Government to invest in a national network of early support hubs to provide easy-to-access, drop-in care, on a self-referral basis.
Providing such support would ensure that a young person does not need to reach crisis point before they get help, and would also reduce pressure on NHS services. Hubs have been proven to work, both in other countries and parts of Britain.
All young people deserve to receive the mental health support they need, when they need it. We urge the Government to listen to them.
Stephen Fry
President, Mind
Emma Thomas
Chief Executive, YoungMinds
Dr Jacqui Dyer
Director, Black Thrive Global
Mark Russell
Chief Executive, The Children鈥檚 Society
Sarah Hughes
Chief Executive, Centre for Mental Health听
Norman Lamb
Chair, Children and Young People鈥檚 Mental Health Coalition
Paul Farmer
Chief Executive, Mind听
Cassandra Harrison
Chief Executive, Youth Access听
Pippa Goodfellow
Director, Alliance for Youth Justice
Jolanta Lasota
Chief Executive, Ambitious About Autism
Natalie Bailey
Chair, 香港六合彩精准资料
Andrew Radford
Chief Executive, BEAT
Louisa Rose
Chief Executive, Beyond
Helen Marshall
Chief Executive, Brook
Geethika Jayatiaka
Chief Executive, Chance UK
Kathy Evans
Chief Executive, Children England听
Robin Barker
Chief Executive, Healthy Teen Minds听
Dr Asha Patel
Chief Executive, Innovating Minds听
Danny Hutchinson
Operations Director, Invictus Wellbeing听
Louisa McGeehan
Chief Executive, Just for Kids Law
Tim Barker
Chief Executive, Kooth
Beth French
Chief Executive and Founder, Let鈥檚 Talk About Loss
Shelly Whitehead
Director, Lock House Consulting Limited听
Dr Amy Pollard FRSA
Director, Mental Health Collective
Simon Blake OBE
Chief Executive, Mental Health First Aid England听
Mark Rowland
Chief Executive, Mental Health Foundation听
Anna Feuchtwang
Chief Executive, National Children鈥檚 Bureau听
Claire Dorer
Chief Executive, NASS
Sean Duggan
Chief Executive, NHS Confederation鈥檚 Mental Health Network
Alyson Wylding
Director, No5 Young People
Leigh Middleton
Chief Executive of NYA and OCD Action听
Karen Black
Chief Executive, Off the Record Bristol听
Dympna Cunnane
Chief Executive, Our Time
Ged Flynn
Chief Executive, PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide
Jabeer Butt OBE
Chief Executive, Race Equality Foundation
Jo Revill
Chief Executive, RCPCH
Dr Elaine Lockhart
Chair of Child & Adolescent Faculty, RCPsych
Mark Winstanley
Chief Executive, Rethink Mental Illness
Wendy Minhinnett
Director, Rollercoaster Family Support
Julie Bentley
Chief Executive, Samaritans
Sharon White OBE
Chief Executive, School and Public Health Nurses Association (SAPHNA)
Jon Salmon and Jo Emmerson
Directors, Speakers Collective CIC
Andrew Varley
Chief Executive, St Vincent鈥檚 Family Project
Juliet Hope MBE
Chief Executive, Startup
Rosie Tressler OBE
Chief Executive, Student Minds听
Diana Ashby
Change Programme Manager and Deputising Chief Executive, The British Psychological Society
Clare Stafford
Chief Executive, The Charlie Waller Trust
Tessy Ojo CBE
Chief Executive, The Diana Award
Ndidi Okezie
Chief Executive, UK Youth
Anna Matthews
Chair of Trustees, UMHAN
John de Pury
Assistant Director of Policy/Mental Health lead, Universities UK
Rachel Kirby-Rider
Chief Executive, Young Lives vs Cancer
Joel Sutton
Chief Executive, Youth Mental Health Foundation
Claire Bethel
Consultant, Way Ahead