What does the new budget mean for mental health research?

MQ’s policy lead, Bryony Doughty, takes a look at today’s budget and highlights some of the key points relating to mental health.

Today, the Chancellor of the UK, Rachel Reeve, delivered the 2024 budget to Parliament. This was a budget of firsts, not just the first budget of a new government, but the first to be delivered by a female Chancellor of the Exchequer.

There were many announcements within the budget - a rise on employer National Insurance contributions, a raise to the national living wage and an increase on capital gains tax. But what does the budget mean for mental health research? And more importantly, how is it likely to impact the mental health of the nation?

Investing in life sciences

• The Chancellor announced £6.1bn of funding into core research, particularly into sectors such as engineering, biotechnology and medical science;
• Additionally, £2bn has been announced for research and development funding for the NHS “to drive innovation and support the UK’s leading life sciences sector’;
• The government also re-committed its investment into Horizon, the EU’s scientific research initiative. This important programme allows UK researchers to participate in one of the largest research cooperatives in the world;
• Up to £520m has been allocated to a new life sciences Innovative Manufacturing fund which is part of the new government’s long-term Industrial Strategy, as laid out in a green paper published earlier in October;
• This 10-year plan aims to grow productivity in the UK by addressing barriers for private investment across many sectors, of which life sciences is just one.

This investment in health research is welcome, and by making Britain a more attractive place for investors to conduct research and development, especially in new technologies, we will see the UK continue to be a leading voice in health research. However, mental health research has been an underinvested sector for far too long. And there has been nothing specifically ringfenced for mental health research within this budget.

It is vital that parity is reached between physical and mental health research if we truly want progress.

What else does the budget mean for mental health?

Aside from the investments into research and life sciences, the Chancellor outlines a number of other plans that will have impact on peoples’ mental health and wellbeing.

White paper – get Britain working

• On the 10th of September, the government had announced a plan to publish a white paper aimed at getting more people back into work. At the time, the Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall MP said “Spiralling inactivity is the greatest employment challenge for a generation, with a near record 2.8 million people out of work due to long-term sickness”;
• In today’s budget, £2.7 billion has been ringfenced through the Department for Work and Pensions to deliver individualised employment support programmes, and reduce ill-health related inactivity;
• Whilst this new budget did not announce any timeline for the publication of this white paper, £240m has been allocated out of the above amount to help target the root cause of inactivity. Specifically, this will be through eight ‘Trailblazer’ areas across England and Wales. Effectively, eight pilot schemes that bring together health, employment and skills services to provide comprehensive support for people out of work due to physical and mental health problems.

People with mental illnesses who are not in work need effective treatments and support to get them into healthy and fulfilling jobs. Workplaces need to be conducive to good mental health, and not a source of stress.

 We hope that these measures announced to get more people into work will be compassionate and evidence-based as opposed to simply focused on growth, and on forcing people into jobs they are not ready to return to.

Whilst the government is stating that it is committed to tackling the root causes of mental health problems, this is with the intention of returning people to work.

Reduced waiting times for NHS treatment

• Following Lord Darzi’s recent report into the challenges faced by the NHS, it has been made clear that our National Health Service is in a critical condition. This is for multiple and complex reasons, including the aftermath of the pandemic, Long COVID, an ageing population, significant inequalities in health and care and years of underinvestment;
• In addition to the £22.6b increase in spending, patient care pathways are to be reformed, with the aim of getting patients seen more quickly and at a lower cost;
• £26m is to be provided to open new mental health crisis centres. The aim is to reduce pressures on A&E services;
• The government has announced further measures to disincentivize activities that cause ill-health such as smoking.

Of course, reducing waiting times for vital health care is a must, especially for the estimated 1.2 million people currently on waiting lists for mental health services in the UK.

However, whilst mental health crisis centres and access to existing treatments are important, it is only through research that we can find ways of preventing mental illnesses from developing in the first place.

The government’s focus on prevention when it comes to physical health (such as measures to reduce smoking and increasing the levy on sugary drinks) could be balanced with plans to protect people’s mental health. Reducing inequalities, more early intervention services and a national trauma strategy would all contribute towards this, but are notably absent from today’s budget.

We hope that the upcoming 10-year plan for the NHS, due next year, will expand on these important points.