Have YOUR say on the 10-year Mental Health Strategy for Northern Ireland

The Covid-19 pandemic has turned many things on their head in Northern Ireland. For many of us living with mental health conditions, the uncertainty and unpredictability of it has made life more difficult.

At the same time, we're seeing some positive advances, including the publication of the draft 2021-2031 Mental Health Strategy for Northern Ireland which is now open for public consultation. 

MindWise has been campaigning for this strategy with our Together For You partners for years and welcomes the public consultation which launched on 21st December 2020 and closes on 26th March 2021.

We're urging you to have your say! 

It's important that as many people as possible, including those of us who are living with mental health difficulties, share their views. In the coming weeks, MindWise will be drawing upon our staff, our clients and other stakeholders to shape our collective response as an organisation to the proposed strategy.

We urge you to personally comment on the draft strategy and ensure your individual voice is heard at government level. It is up to all of us to provide our best ideas and let policymakers know where we want mental health policy and implementation to go in Northern Ireland. 

The draft Strategy sets out a new vision for mental health in Northern Ireland as well as 29 high level actions designed to take forward strategic change over the next decade. According to the Department Of Health website, key actions within the strategy are:

• A commitment to develop a year-on-year action plan for mental health promotion
• Investment and roll-out of therapy hubs in primary care
• Better integration between the statutory and community and voluntary sectors
• The creation of a single mental health service to ensure regional consistency, quality & access across NI

These are just some of the key actions and decisions which lie ahead in determining how we move forward as a country. The next few months until the consultation closes on 26th March will be crucial for the direction of mental health across Northern Ireland this year and well into our future.    

This is a fantastic opportunity to input your thoughts and influence public decisions on mental health that will impact everyone across Northern Ireland for the next 10 years and beyond. We can all be a real part of the democratic decision-making process.

Click this link to download the draft Strategy PDF. You can submit your response and find all supporting documents on the Department Of Health website. Please join us in making your voice heard!