It’s great that our first clutch of mental health commissioning
guides have hatched today. The guides have been produced by the
Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health, a partnership between
us, the Royal College of General Practitioners, and 15 other
organisations.
Congratulations to all of those who have
worked so tirelessly on these practical guides, and for bringing
together the expertise of so many stakeholders.
Yesterday, Emma Harrison – the government’s
“welfare-to-work Tsar” – spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live about her
concerns about the welfare reform plans. She told John Pienaar that
the benefits cap could hit the wrong people, such as seriously
vulnerable families caring for one or more disabled children. Emma
Harrison is, of course, the person chosen in 2010 to lead the
government’s efforts to return hundreds of individuals back to
work. Can I safely assume that the sorts of families she is
thinking of also include families with children with severe
learning disabilities and/or mental illness and developmental
disorders?
This afternoon, I’m off to an All Party
Parliamentary Group meeting in Westminster which will hear from
Care Services Minister Paul Burstow MP as he presents the finds of
the ‘Caring for Our Future’ consultation and looks at the next
steps.
Over the last few weeks, I have seen the
development of a rare medical disorder within myself, known as
‘creeping cynicism disorder’. Please do let me know if you have a
remedy. Meanwhile, we’ll continue battling for changes to the
flawed Health and Social Care Bill – in particular the battle of
parity of esteem between mental and physical health.
Sue
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