Mental health bodies welcome new framework for promoting good mental health across the country

25 March 2010

The Future Vision Coalition, a group of eleven national mental health charities and representative organisations working together to renew mental health policy in England, today welcomed the publication by the Department of Health of a framework for improving mental health in communities across the country.

Speaking at the launch of Confident Communities, Brighter Futures - a framework for developing well-being, Coalition co-chair Dr Andrew McCulloch said: "The Future Vision Coalition welcomed New Horizons not least for its emphasis on public mental health. We are now delighted to welcome today's framework which has a very valuable role in setting out the evidence for different approaches to mental health improvement.

"Mental ill health is both extremely common and very costly. It affects one in six of us every year and costs more than £77 billion. Every day, we have opportunities to promote good mental health in schools, workplaces and neighbourhoods yet we often don't take them. And we can do much more to offer help more quickly when people first become unwell or are vulnerable because of events in their lives. If we took more of those opportunities, we could create a mentally healthier society and make substantial savings to public spending.

"But we need long term commitment to achieve change. This could be the beginning of another revolution in public mental health or it could all fade into the background and will do without that wider commitment. The challenge now is to develop a comprehensive public mental health strategy and to embed this within public health, where it belongs."