Norman Lamb has begun a campaign to get a fair deal for mental health services in the NHS.

The Liberal Democrat health minister said:

“People suffering from mental ill health have been let down by the NHS for decades. One in four of us who suffer from a mental illness in our lifetime, but there is an institutional bias against mental health, and it always been that way. Just £1 out of every £9 is spent on treating mental illnesses.

Liberal Democrats are changing that. We’re introducing waiting standards so that patients will have a right to treatment within a defined period of time. People with mental health conditions should have the same rights as someone waiting for an operation.

Next year we start with the first ever waiting standards for psychological therapies for people with conditions such as anxiety and depression and for ‘early intervention in psychosis’.

We just announced £150 million over 5 years for treating young people who suffer from eating disorders – with the aim of introducing a waiting time standard in 2016. It will mean fewer young people end up in hospital because of a failure to get help early enough.”

If you would like to show your support for Norman’s campaign to end the stigma which exists around mental health, then please click here.