Report: Mindful Nation UK – how mindfulness training can benefit
The Mindful Nation UK report is the result of a 12-month inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Mindfulness into how mindfulness training can benefit UK services and institutions.
The report’s recommendations include:
- Commissioning Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in the NHS for the 580,000 adults at risk of recurrent depression each year, in line with National Institute For Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines
- Creating three mindfulness Teaching Schools (to be selected by the Department of Education) to pioneer mindfulness teaching in schools.
- Training government staff in mindfulness, especially in the health, education and criminal justice sectors.
- Researching the use of mindfulness training for offender populations in the criminal justice system.
Jenny Edwards CBE, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation said: “The Mindful Nation UK report comes at a pivotal time for mindfulness and for action on mental health. The evidence tells us that, properly taught, the practice of mindfulness helps many people maintain good mental health and to sustain recovery after illness.
“At the same time the pressure on mental health crisis services has never been more intense. We know that three quarters of people with mental health problems do not receive care and treatment.
“We need to give serious consideration to the role mindfulness can play in helping to reduce the chances of experiencing mental health problems and to ensure that it becomes available to the communities who have the greatest risks. This has important implications for public policy. We are delighted to see a cross party consensus emerging that it is time for a fresh approach at a national level.”
