Liberal Democrat Motion on Mental Health passed in the Welsh Assembly, or Senedd

The following motion was passed in the Welsh Senedd, or Welsh Assembly, on Wednesday 7th October 2015

"To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Notes that without proper support and treatment, mental health problems can have a devastating impact on a person's quality of life, affecting their work, their home life and their relationships;

2. Welcomes world mental health day, Time to Change Wales, All Together Now! and other campaigns which help to raise awareness of mental health and end stigma and discrimination;

3. Believes that there is still much to be done to provide better care and support for people of all ages with mental health problems in Wales;
4. Calls on the Welsh Government to:
a) give equal priority to mental health and physical health in law to help drive a culture change in attitudes;
b) ensure that the proportion of funding for mental health within the overall NHS Wales budget is consistent with the disease burden, reflecting the relative size of the health challenge in relation to physical health;
c) introduce new waiting time standards for mental health, including for access to psychological therapies;
d) improve mental health training to equip teachers, health professionals and employers with the skills to identify and support those experiencing mental health problems; and
e) introduce a core set of mental health data, focused on outcomes for service users, to inform decision making on priorities for action and to ensure the most effective allocation of resources.

The following amendments have been tabled:

Amendment 1 - Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire) In point 4, add as new sub-point: consider the introduction of a ring fence to ensure that there is adequate investment in mental health services for children and young people in Wales.

Amendment 2 - Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire) Add as new point at end of motion:
Notes ongoing concerns regarding the capacity of mental health services for children and young people in Wales to meet demand.

Amendment 3 - Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire) Add as new point at end of motion: Regrets that real term cuts to NHS expenditure in Wales will make securing improvements in mental health services more challenging.