Where is widening participation in mental health?

We all know the evidence – wellbeing increases with quality access to learning. Yet, if we ask what progression opportunities exist through a widening participation strategy for those within mental health service provision – what might the answer be?

Yet:

1. The annual costs of poor mental health to the UK economy exceeds £100 billion (Centre for Mental Health)
2. 9 out of 10 male prisoners have a diagnosed mental health problem (Together for Mental Health, Wales)
3. Annually 1 in 4 people in the UK (up to 16 million people) – are said to have a mental health problem (Time to Change)
4. Mental Illness is now recognized as “one of the greatest — and growing — public health problems in the world” (Financial Times, 2017)