Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is responsible for mental-health services for Surrey Heath residents, and Michael met Fiona Edwards, its Chief Executive, on 27 September 2019 to discuss the challenges the Trust is facing and its plans for the future.
Demands on services have greatly increased, particularly from children and young people. One in ten children and young people have a diagnosable mental-health condition, and Michael knows from his own casework that many families in Surrey Heath are badly affected.
Michael is campaigning for better support for child and adolescent mental-health care and as part of the Government’s five-year funding offer, the annual NHS budget will grow by over £33.9 billion and mental-health services is to receive an additional £2.3 billion p.a.