Bishop of Truro – Government’s Life Chances Strategy needs to address food insecurity and young people’s mental health services

Bishop of Truro 20.6.13On 11th May 2016 Lord Farmer led a debate in the House of Lords on the motion “to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to deliver the Life Chances Strategy to transform the lives of the most disadvantaged people in Britain, as outlined by the Prime Minister on 11 January.” The Bishop of Truro, Rt Revd Tim Thornton, spoke during the  debate. The full text of his speech and extracts from the Minister’s reply are below.

The Lord Bishop of Truro: My Lords, I, too, congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Farmer, on securing this important debate. He kindly mentioned me in his introduction, and I probably ought to note that I once used to work in a college where, much later, he was on the governing body. He was also very sweet to mention that I might say something interesting. I find that most people look forward to what I have to say rather than look back on it. Continue reading “Bishop of Truro – Government’s Life Chances Strategy needs to address food insecurity and young people’s mental health services”

Bishop of Peterborough asks Government about plans to reduce prison suicides

14.02 PeterboroughOn 3rd May 2016 Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames asked Her Majesty’s Government, “in the light of the latest figures on deaths in custody and prison violence, what plans they have to improve prison safety in the short term.” The Bishop of Peterborough, Rt Revd Donald Allister, asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of Peterborough: My Lords, given the shocking 27% rise in suicides in prisons in the last year, what can the Minister tell us about the provision of psychiatric and psychotherapeutic care for vulnerable prisoners? Continue reading “Bishop of Peterborough asks Government about plans to reduce prison suicides”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about support for prisoners at risk of suicide

StAlbans171115On 25th April 2016 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer to a question on support for those at risk of suicide in prison:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent increases in the number of non-natural deaths in prisons; and what plans they have to improve mental health support for those in prison who are at risk of suicide. [HL7466] Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about support for prisoners at risk of suicide”

Bishop of St Albans questions the availability of mental health care for young people

StAlbans171115On the 13th April 2016 Lord Harris of Haringey asked a question of the Government about the assessment they have made of the number of deaths amongst child and adolescent patients in psychiatric units, in the light of the investigation conducted by the charity Inquest. The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith asked a supplementary question about mental health care available to young people.

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans questions the availability of mental health care for young people”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government to ensure new prison designs take account of mental health needs

On 3rd March 2016 Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames asked Her Majesty’s Government “what steps they are taking to tackle the incidence of deaths, serious assaults and incidents of self-harm in prison.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow up question:


 

Bishop of St AlbansThe Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, in the light of the welcome announcement last autumn that a number of the old, unsuitable prisons were going to be replaced with purpose-built ones, will the Minister assure the House that the specifications for those new-builds will take very careful account of mental health issues, consulting with the charities that are dealing with this particular area and producing excellent educational, medical and spiritual facilities, so that we can minimise the level of mental health problems and maximise rehabilitation? Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government to ensure new prison designs take account of mental health needs”

Bishop of Bristol highlights the effect of loneliness on health and wellbeing

On 26th November 2015 the House of Lords debated a motion from Lord Crisp, “that this House takes note of the case for building a health-creating society in the United Kingdom where all sectors contribute to creating a healthy and resilient population.” The Bishop of Bristol, Rt Revd Mike Hill, spoke in the debate:


Bishop of Bristol June 2015The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, I, too, am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Crisp, for introducing this debate and this very big idea into the Chamber. Already we start to see that the breadth of material that needs to be thought about in relation to creating a healthy society is indeed vast. I sat here for some of the debate thinking were I the Minister—God forbid—how I might respond to such a plethora of concerns that have been articulated. I wish him well with that.

 

Of course, what we cannot do, as several noble Lords have noted, is expect the Government to solve this on their own, although I think there is a major challenge involved in this for government. That is what I would call the alignment of policy—how do you align policy over a very wide range of areas in life in such a way that human well-being emerges from it? Continue reading “Bishop of Bristol highlights the effect of loneliness on health and wellbeing”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about mental health of young people in care

On 20th October 2015 Lord Stone of Blackheath asked Her Majesty’s Government “what progress has been made in establishing parity of esteem between mental and physical well-being.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a supplementary question.


Bishop of St AlbansThe Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, the NSPCC report on achieving emotional well-being among young people in care found that 45% of them experience mental health problems, many of which continue to remain undiagnosed. It recommends that those young people should have not only an automatic physical health assessment but an automatic mental health assessment. Will Her Majesty’s Government consider introducing legislation to give that right to all young people as they enter care?


Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about mental health of young people in care”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about provision of mental health care services for children and young people

On 30th June 2015 the House of Lords debated a motion from Baroness Tyler of Enfield “to ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to respond to the recommendations of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Task Force Report Future in Mind.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, spoke in the debate.

Bishop St Albans June 2015The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I, too, am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Tyler, for introducing this debate, for the excellent work of the task group and for the commitment that Her Majesty’s Government have already made to this area.

I also pay tribute to the many excellent charities that are working in this area. Just round the corner from where I live in St Albans is a small charity. I do not suppose that any of your Lordships will have heard of it. It is called Youth Talk and it was set up some years ago, in 1997, by a local GP after she realised that there was a need for a safe place where young people could come for counselling and support. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about provision of mental health care services for children and young people”

Bishop of Bristol calls for training for prison staff in mental health awareness

On the 24th June Lord Patel asked Her Majesty’s Government “what steps they are taking to achieve parity of esteem between mental health and physical health in prisons.” The Bishop of Bristol, Rt Revd Mike Hill, asked a supplementary question about mental health awareness training.Bishop of Bristol June 2015

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, given the complex needs of so many prisoners and the fact that those needs have to be addressed consistently, does the Minister agree with me that the risks associated with such prisoners could be greatly reduced were all operational staff in prisons given training on mental health awareness?

Continue reading “Bishop of Bristol calls for training for prison staff in mental health awareness”

Young people’s mental health – Bishop of Peterborough asks Government to explore impact of social media

On 23rd June 2015 Lord Storey asked Her Majesty’s Government “what plans they have to develop mental health services for pupils and young people.” The Bishop of Peterborough, Rt Revd Donald Allister, asked a further question:

14.02 PeterboroughThe Lord Bishop of Peterborough: My Lords, mental health cannot be considered in isolation from the rest of life. For example, a number of recent deaths of young people by suicide have been connected to their use of the internet or social media. Is the Minister prepared to work with the Department for Education, other education providers and others, to produce a rounded programme of support for the whole person in their context? Will he also indicate the Government’s support for the Online Safety Bill introduced by the noble Baroness, Lady Howe? Continue reading “Young people’s mental health – Bishop of Peterborough asks Government to explore impact of social media”