Mental health must be an election issue

Last week the Gazette incorrectly attributed the Liberal Democrats’ recent series of social media videos and forthcoming live broadcast session to the Green Party. Our videos have been seen by 1 in 5 people within the constituency and are proving highly successful at drawing voters’ attention to issues which might otherwise be overlooked.

One of these issues is mental health. Within the NHS, mental health is often referred to as a ‘Cinderella Service’, because it is neglected and desperately needs money. If a person suffering from a mental health disorder needs to be detained for their own safety, that person has the right to be placed in a Designated Place of Safety (known as a Section 136 Suite) – of which there are only three in the whole of Kent.

I am told by staff this can mean patients being placed in police cells, or in A&E departments that don’t have the facilities to offer the right care and support.

In order to get the care they need, patients are sometimes transferred over 300 miles away from home. An integral part of getting better is the support provided by family.

I would like to call on Julian Brazier and the other candidates to join me in making support for our local mental health services a key election promise. I am glad to say that the Liberal Democrats have ring-fenced an extra £1 billion for mental health care in our 2017 manifesto.

I would also like to invite all residents of the district to join me for a live question and answer session on Sunday afternoon at 3pm which will be a video