Labour leader says PM has failed to fund pledge to put mental health on par with physical

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Jeremy Corbyn has challenged the prime minister over failings in mental health services, saying: “Too many of our fellow citizens suffer alone because there are not enough staff to help them at a moment of crisis.”

At the final session of prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, before parliament takes a two-week Easter break, the Labour leader used all of his questions to accuse Theresa May of failing to live up to the government’s promise to treat mental health as seriously as physical health.

“Despite legislating for parity of esteem, the government has failed to fund it,” he said.

May told MPs on parliament’s liaison committee on Tuesday that the government planned to inject more funding into the NHS through a 10-year funding plan.

PMQs verdict: Corbyn's measured approach upends May on mental health Read more

Corbyn urged her to ensure a fair share of any new funding went to mental health provision, by “ringfencing NHS mental health budgets to support those going through a mental health crisis, at a time when they most need our help and our support”.

He called for the government to ensure there were “more mental health professionals to help people in a crisis”.

Corbyn also paid tribute to the families of Connor Sparrowhawk and Teresa Colvin, who died in the care of private provider Southern Health, which was recently fined £2m after a long-running campaign.

The prime minister said lessons had been learned since the Sparrowhawk and Colvin cases in 2012 and 2013.

“These incidents took place some time ago and lessons have been learned by the health and social care system,” she said. “There have been significant steps taken in raising awareness of autism and making sure there is support available.”

May added that “a comprehensive CQC inspection into Southern Health is expected later this year”.

The prime minister insisted there were 1,400 more people accessing mental health services every day than when the Conservatives came to power in 2010.

“Dealing with mental health means addressing it in a variety of ways. We are taking more steps to address the issues of mental health than the Labour government ever took when we they were in power,” she said.

And she pointed to a series of recent policy announcements, including identifying a teacher at each school to identify students in mental health difficulties.

The prime minister also highlighted the influence of social media, and online bullying, as a contributor to mental health difficulties among young people, and pointed to the need to “help our young people develop more resilience on social media”.