Letters / Austerity and mental health
The Covid crisis has highlighted how quickly a nation can be affected by events out with our control.
The number of deaths in the UK is much too high, and we need to learn the lessons in preparation for the next pandemic which may not be long in arriving.
The effect on mental health is an obvious concern but will lessons be learned here?
The grinding poverty and stress brought about by the Tory austerity measures after the 2008 crash also had a massive effect on mental health and public health more generally.
It is estimated that between 100-130,000 people lost their lives in the UK directly as a result of austerity policies: a comparable amount of “excess deaths” to those lost in this pandemic.
Austerity was introduced with the help of the Liberal Democrats in Westminster. They would do well to remember this when they champion mental health at this election.
Kerrie Meyer
Bigton
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