The Welsh Government has today published its Draft Budget for 2021-22.
The draft budget states that “protecting Mental Health Services in 2021-22 remains a priority”. In recognition of the impact that the pandemic has had on many people’s mental health and well-being, the budget proposes an allocation of an additional £20m within Health and Social Services to increase support across a range of areas.
The budget proposes that the Welsh Government will raise its commitment under A Healthier Wales for the Mental Health Service Improvement Fund through doubling its funding from £7m to £14m, and providing increased support for frontline non-clinical services, all age crisis support and memory assessment services.
The draft budget also proposes a further £4m to support the rollout of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in-reach across Wales, plus an additional £5.4m for NHS CAMHS for Tier 4 and Community Intensive Teams.
The draft plan summarises that “Taken together with the increase in the NHS Mental Health ring fence for pay and inflation, this translates to more than £42m of additional investment supporting mental health services in 2021-22. Further investment in mental health can be seen across government, in line with our approach to prevention and protection of mental health and well-being, including employment support, debt advice, housing support, sports andaccess to green spaces, as set out in Together for Mental Health Delivery Plan.”
For full details of the proposals please visit: https://gov.wales/draft-budget-2021-2022