Rethink Mental Illness responds to plans for a new National Institute for Health Protection

Following the announcement that Public Health England is due to be disbanded ahead of the creation of the new National Institute for Health Protection, Rethink Mental Illness has the following response.

Mark Winstanley, CEO of Rethink Mental Illness said, "We welcome the Government’s plans to consult on the future of health improvement. Public Health England has been instrumental in developing and delivering valuable national strategies to support people living with mental illness, including suicide prevention, mental health, smoking cessation and weight management. The objective ought to be to preserve and enhance this work while ensuring that any future health improvement strategy or organisation is also focussed on narrowing the health inequalities around issues such as housing, physical health and helping people make good financial decisions. We hope that the new Stakeholder Advisory Group promised by the Secretary of State today will drive that agenda, recognising the relationship between mental illness and health inequalities so that we have long-term sustainable solutions, underpinned by the necessary resource. That is the way to improve the health of the nation."