WALES’ political parties have turned their attention to mental health provision amid fears of a mental health crisis following the pandemic.

In September, figures suggested that more people were waiting for mental health treatment than any other condition in Wales.

Research by Mind Cymru also found that 74 per cent of young people aged 13 to 24 said their mental health had deteriorated during the first lockdown, and there are fears that a mental health crisis is looming large on the horizon.

The Welsh Conservatives, who launch their manifesto tomorrow (April 20), have vowed to transform mental health provision in Wales by introducing a number of initiatives to guarantee it is given the same priority as physical health.

The party will undertake a review of mental health services by establishing a commission on mental health, consulting with service users, families, professionals and charities.

A broad range of measures pledged by the Tories include introduce a new Mental Health Act, increasing spending on mental health and wellbeing services in real terms each year of the next Welsh Parliament, and delivering dedicated mother and baby units in both the north and south of the country.

Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies, said: “The last year has seen people’s lives turned upside down and the impact cannot be understated.

“But pre-pandemic, mental health provision was overlooked by successive governments in Cardiff Bay and Welsh Conservatives will ensure this does not continue.

“We will give people in Wales a cast-iron guarantee that we will transform mental health by giving it the same focus and energy that is given to physical health.

“We will achieve this goal through a variety of wide-ranging pledges, including introducing a new Mental Health Act, establishing a network of mental health crisis centres, and ensuring all young people have access to mental health services at schools, colleges and universities.

“No one should suffer in silence and our plan for change will create a brighter future by transforming mental health.”

Plaid Cymru has also suggesting bold action on mental health provision.

The party would create 14 wellbeing centres to support youth mental health, if it forms the next Welsh Government.

Highlighting the policy proposal, the party’s candidate for Ynys Môn, Rhun ap Iorwerth, said that the walk-in centres would offer early intervention for young people who are not ill enough to require advanced psychiatric treatment.

Announcing his party’s policy, Mr ap Iorwerth said: “As a father of three young people, I know how hard the pandemic and all the challenges that come with it have been for their generation.

“That’s why a Plaid Cymru government would create a national network of 14 wellbeing one-stop shops in currently unused town centre premises where young people could get advice from counsellors and therapists.  

“There is a real danger that these young people who are not ill enough to require advanced psychiatric treatment but still need mental health support could slip through the net.

“Fantastic work is already carried out across Wales by support centres and organisations, but such ventures need and deserve far more support.

“Plaid’s plans would aim to fill the large gap in provision which has grown under the last Labour government and send a clear message to Wales’s young people that we are firmly on their side.”

Elsewhere, the Liberal Democrats have pledged to increase the share of mental health funding to 13 per cent of all NHS spending in Wales by 2028.

The party would also prioritise provision for people who have worked in health and social care over the last twelve months, while delivering a 24/7 mental health care service and improved access to psychological therapies

Labour has said it will prioritise investment in mental health services to help with long-term recovery from the pandemic.

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The mental health charity, Mind Cymru, has also called on parties to prioritise mental health.

The charity wants the next Government to publish a new Mental Health Strategy and reviewing mental health legislation, while addressing inequalities in access to mental health support, especially those living in poverty and people from black and minority ethnic communities.

A commit to ensuring everybody has access to quality crisis care 24 hours a day is also of paramount importance, the charity has said.

This article originally appeared on the Argus' sister site The National.