All new government policies should undergo mental health test, charity says

By Aine Fox, Reporter14th May 2024News EnglandGovernment / Politics, Mental Health, News England

The potential mental health impacts of all new government policies should be assessed before they are put in place, a new report has urged.

The Centre for Mental Health charity said it is calling on all political parties to commit to implementing a “robust mental health policy test” to ensure the risks of harmful effects are reduced.

Its report suggested such a test might have advised against welfare reform proposals announced by the Conservative Government.

A major speech by Rishi Sunak last month suggested greater medical evidence could be required to substantiate a PIP (personal independence payment) claim, and that some people with mental health conditions may be offered talking therapies or respite care rather than cash transfers.

The proposals faced criticism from disability and mental health campaigners, as the PM warned against “over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life”.

The Centre for Mental Health report stated: “The system by which social security is administered is poorly equipped for people with mental health difficulties.

“Additionally, rhetoric which represents benefits claimants as workshy is very damaging for people’s mental health.

“A policy test would enable decision makers to identify better ways of meeting people’s needs by taking an evidence-based approach.”

The centre said policies across a wide range of issues from housing and the environment to benefits and immigration could benefit from mental health assessments.

The report suggested a mental health policy test could have been applied “at speed, to decisions made during the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath” and gave an example where it said such an assessment “may have highlighted some of the long-term risks of the Eat Out To Help Out initiative, despite its apparent short-term benefits”.

It cited the “sharp uptick of Covid-19 cases” following the scheme and the subsequent lockdowns and their impacts on people.

The report recommended that a cross-government policy test should be brought in which could initially run as a pilot project ahead of legislation being introduced “to embed it into the machinery of government during the next parliament”.

The findings of policy tests should be published online to ensure public transparency and this would set a benchmark “against which government departments and their executive agencies can be held accountable for their mental health impact”, the centre said.

Andy Bell (pictured), chief executive at the Centre for Mental Health, said: “Every government policy affects our mental health, for good or ill.

“A mental health policy test is a simple and effective way of ensuring the greatest benefits and reducing risks. It is uniquely positioned to bring about positive change in everything from education to social security to town planning, by considering how these affect people’s wellbeing.

“We urge the Government and all political parties to commit to implementing a robust mental health policy test.

“Alongside a national mental health plan and a Mental Health Commissioner at the heart of government, the policy test could change the way policies get made and have a major and lasting impact on the lives of millions of people nationwide.”

A Government spokesperson said: “We always aim to act in the best interest of the British people and take into account a wide range of factors when devising policy.

“We also have a strong record on mental health, having increased spending on services by £4.7 billion in cash terms, while aiming to help 345,000 more people gain access to NHS mental health support by March 2025.”