Last weekend it was a pleasure to visit the Horsham Painting Group’s Exhibition in the Friends’ Meeting House, the fabulous performance by HAODS of “Annie” and an exceptional concert by the West Sussex Philharmonic Choir in St Marys. This weekend we can look forward to the Fairtrade Christmas Market in St Johns, a Christmas Fair at Sedgwick Park in aid of Medical Detection Dogs and on Sunday hundreds of Father Christmasses and Elves taking to Horsham Park in aid of St Catherines’ Hospice!
There are so many superb events in Horsham based around the efforts of great voluntary organisations.
The Horsham Bi-Polar UK support group are another local group with an important role in the community. They meet monthly to provide support to those who are bi-polar and their family members. More than one million people in the UK have the condition and I was pleased to join the group at one of their recent meetings.
It is never easy for anyone living with a long-term medical condition. There are though particular difficulties for those who live with a condition for which there are no obvious physical symptoms. Across the political divide there is a real appreciation that we need to do more to help those with mental health issues. The starting point is treating mental health with the same importance as other conditions: ‘parity of esteem’. Progress is being made with more Government investment in mental health than ever before. This includes an additional £1 billion by 2020-21 to improve access to services so that the right care is available when it is needed most. An estimated 1,400 more people are accessing mental health services every day compared to 2010 – an increase of 40 per cent, as well as around 750,000 more people accessing talking therapies since 2009/10.
Meeting the group I found pro-active and positive individuals but also clear evidence of what more needs to be done. Only one in five with a long-term mental health condition are in employment. We have a challenge to get mental health support right – failure would be not only a personal tragedy but a huge waste of talent.