Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Nick Clegg to announce waiting targets for mental health

Nick Clegg will, as promised, use his conference speech today to announce waiting time targets for mental health treatments. The Deputy Prime Minister, as part of government efforts to bring mental and physical health onto an even keel, introduce targets for the first time and pledge some (although not very much) more money to help this happen.

The announcement is partly future party policy and partly immediately effective government policy. The latter includes £120 million to improve the services so that they match up to these targets, which apply from April 2015. Clegg will tell the conference:

‘This morning I announced that next year, for the first time ever, we will introduce national waiting times for patients with mental health conditions. Labour introduced waiting times in physical health – we will do the same for the many people struggling with conditions that you often can’t see, that we often don’t talk about, but which are just as serious.

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