Funding for mental health social care
Social care support for those living with severe mental illness and their carers has been chronically underfunded for years. Rethink Mental Illness is calling on the government to care for mental health by providing a long-term package of funding, so that those who rely on this care are able to thrive, not just survive.
What is mental health social care?
Mental health social care plays a vital role in supporting people living with severe mental illness to recover following hospital care, stay well and prevent further crises. Whether it be help with managing tasks at home, personal finances, getting outside and accessing community activities, finding and keeping work and respite for carers, the support it provides is a lifeline to many.
However, the services which provide this support are chronically underfunded as many local authorities face a funding crisis. Without a long-term package of funding and a national focus on improving social care, these problems could get worse instead of better.
Julie, who manages a Rethink Mental Illness service for carers, said that without these services, “unpaid carers would become very unwell and may be unable to support their loved ones anymore.”
The government must act now to ensure the enormous benefits it brings to people severely affected by mental illness across the county are not lost.
Our calls to the government:
- To invest £1.1 billion into mental health social care
- To deliver a funding model that meets the needs of people severely affected by mental illness.
Help us to campaign for more funding for mental health social care by becoming a campaigner
Read our briefing on mental health social care
To read more about why mental health social care is so important for people severely affected by mental illness and what you can do to help, read our briefing and contact the campaigns team if you have any questions at campaigns@rethink.org.