MPs to be exempt from sack for mental illnesses

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg also promised more money to help veterans suffering post-conflict mental illness as part of sweeping reforms announced yesterday.

The Government says it wants to build on the work of the previous Government and put treatment for mental issues on an equal footing to that of physical ailments.

But Labour and charity bosses called into question its viability at a time when the NHS is facing its most radical shake-up in its history and funding for related services such as housing and social supports is under extreme pressure.

Launching the strategy, which includes an extra 400m for mental health, Government's Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said: "For too long mental health has been the poor relation in the NHS. Yet we know that good mental health and resilience are fundamental to our physical health, our relationships, our education, our work and to achieving our potential."

Half of those with lifetime mental health problems first experience symptoms before the age of 14, and three quarters before their mid-20s. One in four people will experience mental illness over their lifetime and one in six has a common mental illness at any one time.

Mr Clegg said an outdated law disqualifying MPs if they had a mental health problem for more than six months would be abandoned.

"We are scrapping that – it is a relatively symbolic thing, because it has never been used – but it nonetheless shows that we are determined to root out that stigma," he said.

He said the Government was also providing more money to help veterans of conflicts combat mental illness.

"Soldiers coming back from conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan have been so brave and so courageous that I think many people think, 'Well, surely they are not susceptible to mental health problems'," he said.

"But often the toughest battle is when they have actually come back from the battlefield."

Shadow Care Minister Emily Thornberry said: "The Government wants this vision to be achieved while at the same time grabbing the NHS by the ankles, turning it upside down and shaking it hard."

Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of the charity Sane, said she was concerned the strategy was being launched "against a background of serial closures of psychiatric beds, day centres, occupational therapy facilities and community services".

She said: "We expect further cuts when health service savings start to bite. There are also worries there will be confusion when GPs, some of whom may have limited specialist mental health knowledge, take the lead on commissioning services."

Sarah Brennan, chief executive of charity Youngminds, welcomed the strategy but expressed concern about how cuts to children's services might affect it.

She said: "This is the first time a Government mental health strategy puts children and young people's mental health and well-being at its forefront. This is especially important at a time when young people are growing up in a society where one in five have no job and access to further education is getting increasingly competitive."

Graduate sets off on varsity tour

A 24-year-old Leeds University graduate is setting off on a nationwide campaign tour tomorrow, with the aim of inspiring healthy minds and confidence among his fellow students.

Ed Pinkney will be setting off in his VW camper and plans and plans a grand tour of more than 15 universities over the next month to spread the word about the Mental Wealth Project.

The philosophy and management graduate, who is now studying a part-time course in counselling in Leeds, launched the project in 2009, aimed at building a network of student-led initiatives to promote positive well-being at university campuses across the UK.