HL Deb 27 May 2004 vol 661 cc156-7WA
Lord Morris of Manchester

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What consideration they are giving to the finding of the National Association for Mental Health's new report Not Alone? Isolation and Mental Distress that people with mental health problems in the black and ethnic minority communities are significantly more at risk of isolation and discrimination than others; and what action they are taking on the report's recommendations. [HL2866]

Lord Warner

The Department of Health welcomes the National Association for Mental Health's recommendations which are being considered as part of the department's agenda to improve mental health services for everyone including people from black and ethnic minority communities with mental health problems.

The department is currently engaged in a number of initiatives that specifically link in with the National Association for Mental Health's findings in relation to people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds. These include:

  • 80 community engagement projects;
  • 500 community development workers by 2006;
  • a census of service users so changes can be monitored;
  • recruiting nine senior regional equality leads in the National Institute for Mental Health in England to support and assist local services development;
  • consulting with asylum seekers on the specific need they have of mental health services; and
  • developing work to look at pathways to care and suicide prevention.

In addition, we have recently consulted on Delivering Race Equality: A Framework for Action, which sets out what planning, delivering and monitoring local primary care and mental health services need to do to improve services for users experiencing mental illness and distress, and their relatives and carers, from black and minority ethnic communities. The final report will be published this summer.

We also look forward to the report of the Social Exclusion Unit due for publication next month which will highlight the issues, and the action that could be taken to strengthen support for people with mental health problems.