Adam Price

Plaid Cymru | Carmarthen East and Dinefwr

MP Calls for Mental Health Shake Up

Adam Price, Plaid Cymru : The Party of Wales Member of Parliament for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr has called for a shake up of mental health provision in West Wales following a meeting with the family of Roy Thomas, who tragically committed suicide after leaving a special psychiatric ward at West Wales General Hospital, Carmarthen. Mr Price said a number of recent high profile cases highlighted concerns relating to mental health provision in West Wales. Mr Price's comments come following a recent Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) report, which emphasised a number of areas for improvement.

Mr Price said:

Mental health is not a peripheral issue. It is expected that 20% of the population will experience mental health problems during their lifetime. We urgently need therefore to dismantle the stigma associated with mental health in general. Above all, The Government has a duty to ensure that mental health patients receive the aid and services they deserve.

Mental health staff are both dedicated and committed, however the service in West Wales is struggling from under funding and some structural deficiencies.

Following my earlier meetings with service users and relatives I have arranged a range of meetings with the Patients Advocate, the user forum, Carmarthenshire NHS Trust and Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust to discuss the concerns expressed to me by constituents. I will be particularly concentrating on security and consultation issues.