We welcome The Labour Party’s new Health Manifesto, which sets out to address three of the most serious health problems in the UK; cancer, cardiovascular disease and suicide.

In an address today (22 May), Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer shared the party’s concerns about rising suicide rates in the UK. Suicide is the leading cause of death in adults under 34, and the rate of lives lost to suicide has been steadily rising since 2008.

Labour, if successful in the next general election, has committed to reversing the rising trend in the rate of lives lost to suicide, through increased access to mental health support, reduced waiting lists, and support in every school. 

Sir Keir Starmer said: “We’ll take bold action where early intervention can make a huge difference – on mental health. Make no mistake – we intend to revolutionise mental health treatment in this country: 8,500 new mental health professionals, specialist access in every school, guaranteed treatment inside four weeks for anyone who needs it.”

On the announcement, Catherine Roche, Place2Be’s Chief Executive said:

“We welcome The Labour Party’s announcement today, and their commitment to ensuring everyone can access professional mental health support when they need it. The key to success is to invest in prevention; and then to ensure those most in need to have access to treatment when there is a more serious issue.

“When it comes to children and young people, we must normalise mental health support, by building it into everyday life. We need the education and health systems to work together, to help children build resilience, but be able to ask for support when needed. As one of the UK’s leading providers of in-school mental health services, we know the important role that schools can play in supporting children’s mental health. It is promising to see this acknowledged in the manifesto, which commits to place specialist access in every school.

“1 in 6 children have a diagnosable mental health disorder, and many continue to have these problems into adulthood. Mental health costs the UK economy at least £118 billion a year. So as a society, there is a strong case for investing in prevention and early intervention. This makes both moral and economic sense, as for every £1 invested in mental health support in primary schools, society gains £8 in economic benefits.”

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