Mental Health

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 4:04 pm on 25 June 2002.

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Photo of Liam Fox Liam Fox Shadow Secretary of State for Health 4:04, 25 June 2002

I am aware of it and I welcome it, but we should treat the matter as one of even greater urgency. I hope that the Secretary of State will outline the proposals in the Bill to do just that; it is something that we have been urging the Government to do. If that is what the Secretary of State confirms this afternoon, he will have our support.

The Wanless report looked at the costs of mental illness and the potential savings that a better system might bring. Derek Wanless pointed out that MIND had estimated the total cost of mental illness at £37 billion a year, of which £11.8 billion was accounted for by lost employment. In 1995, more than 91 million working days were lost as a result of mental illness. The Home Office estimates that the overall cost of crime is £58 billion a year, and a significant proportion of crime is carried out by those with a mental illness.

When asked about the cost benefits of better mental health care, Wanless said:

"It is difficult to estimate the exact value of potential savings, but it does not seem unreasonable to assume that there might be a 5 per cent. reduction in the costs of mental illness and a 2 per cent. reduction in the costs of crime . . . giving a net saving across government as a whole of some £3.1 billion a year."

The House would do well to take a wider view of costs and benefits.