IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Money and Mental Health response to NHS Long Term Plan

07 January 2019

In response to the launch of the NHS’s new Long Term Plan today, Helen Undy, Director of the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, said: “The new Long Term plan offers a welcome focus on prevention and takes further steps to put mental health on par with physical health in the NHS. It’s disappointing, however, that the emphasis on prevention largely only concerns physical health, and that there is little focus on preventing mental health problems.

“An ambitious ten year plan with prevention at its heart should also tackle the social factors which affect our health, from debt to loneliness and employment. But this requires adequate investment in public health, instead of the cuts to the public health grant that we’ve seen in the past month.”

ENDS

Contact:

For all media enquiries, please contact Brian Semple, Head of External Affairs, on 0207 848 1448 or [email protected]

Notes to Editors

• The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute was set up by Martin Lewis in spring 2016, registered charity number 1166493.
• It conducts research and develops policies for essential services firms, regulators, the health service and government to help people with mental health problems protect themselves from financial difficulties and get out of debt.
• Martin Lewis OBE, Money Saving Expert, is an award-winning campaigning broadcaster, newspaper columnist and author. He founded MoneySavingExpert.com in 2003 for £100 and remains its full-time Editor-in-Chief. It is now the UK’s biggest money site, with more than 14 million monthly users. Martin has his own prime-time ITV programme – The Martin Lewis Money Show – and is resident expert on This Morning, Good Morning Britain and BBC Radio 5 Live’s Consumer Panel, among others.
• Helen Undy is a passionate mental health campaigner and became the Institute’s Director in 2018, having previously led the Institute’s impact and communications work.