£1m Announced For Black And Ethnic Mental Health Projects

Health minister Rosie Winterton has announced that the government was to provide an additional £1 million for 40 community engagement projects.

The money will go towards building stronger links between mental health services and black and minority ethnic communities and are part of the government’s Delivering Race Equality initiative.

Speaking at a symposium about prison health issues for black and minority ethnic (BME) groups, Ms Winterton said: “The problem is clear – too many young black men with mental health problems only get the help they need when they get into trouble with the law.

“As well as improving access to mental health treatment in prisons, we need to do more to ensure problems are identified and treated earlier. “This means reducing the fear of mental illness in BME communities and encouraging those with problems to seek help sooner.”

She concluded by saying that the 40 community engagement projects being set up would go further to reach members of black and ethnic minority communities and would complement the existing 40 projects which “are already forging productive relationships”.