The British Psychological Society, together with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, is hosting a fringe meeting at the Labour Party Conference in Manchester tomorrow (Tuesday 23 September).
Our panel debate - ’Delivering psychological therapies within Labour’s vision of whole-person care' - will explore the benefits of a whole-person care system, the importance of parity of esteem between mental and physical healthcare, and how such parity might be practically achieved.
It takes place in the Stanley Suite at the Midland Hotel at 8am (conference pass needed).
The members of the panel will be:
- Chris Ruane MP, Joint Chair of the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group
- Kevan Jones MP
- Professor Jamie Hacker Hughes, President-Elect, British Psychological Society
- Professor Dame Sue Bailey OBE, Vice-President, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
- Professor Baroness Hollins, Chair Board of Science, British Medical Association
- Ian Hullat, Mental Health Adviser, Royal College of Nursing
As the Ministry of Defence’s former and first ever Defence Consultant Advisor in Psychology, Professor Jamie Hacker Hughes able to provide a unique viewpoint on access to therapy for veterans and other often overlooked groups. He will also touch on the comorbidities of mental ill health and physical health and the opportunity of moving to a system of prevention and early intervention.
Professor Hacker Hughes says:
“Although access to psychological therapies has improved for those with common mental health problems, there is still considerable variation around the country with people in some areas, and in some groups, waiting for far too long to access treatment. Veterans’ provision, for example, is still patchy, poorly regulated and poorly coordinated.
“The British Psychological Society firmly supports the development of mental health service provision in order to produce services that are high-quality and easily accessible, which allow for flexibility and depth of provision of care from an appropriate range of professionals, delivered in a timely fashion and on the basis of parity with physical health care provision.
“If people suffering psychological problems are identified early and are able to access assessment and intervention without barriers (and this includes the hugely important issue of tackling stigma) then they are more likely to make an effective and lasting improvement.”