The Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy – Janet Finch-Saunders MS/AS – has asked the Welsh Government to consider making access to mental health support easier, by supporting the provision of a trained worker at every GP practice.
In a Written Question, Mrs Finch-Saunders asked:
What consideration has the Minister given to supporting the provision of a dedicated mental health worker at each GP practice in Wales?
The intervention comes as it is revealed that more than 3.2 million antidepressant items were prescribed by GPs in Wales in the six months after the Covid pandemic started - an increase of 115,660 compared to the previous year. In the same period, the number of people referred for talking therapies fell by a third to 25,520.
Discussing the need to re-examine mental health support, Janet said:
“As Mind Cymru has rightfully cautioned, we cannot become a nation that too often uses antidepressants as a sticking plaster so as to alleviate distress in the short term.
“Mental health support must be sustainable, with talking therapies and counselling enabling trained professionals to view the issue in the round.
But here lies the problem - in Wales, services like counselling can only be accessed through the NHS with a referral from a GP.“This is why I have asked the Minister to consider proposals by the joint chair of the Royal College of GPs in Wales, to support the provision of a dedicated mental health worker at each GP practice across Wales.
“As Dr Peter Saul rightly concludes, such a provision ensures that patients will be provided with a balanced mental health discussion which would allow for a review into what support they wanted and what assistance is available, helping to bring an end to the worrying trend of turning only to medication.
“A new approach to support must be realised if the Welsh Government is to confront what will be the lasting legacy of this pandemic.”
ENDS
Notes for Editors:
- To read Dr Peter Saul’s comments, please click here.
- Statistics on mental health support in Wales can be found here.
Photo: Emma Simpson on Unsplash
