Government policies should face mental health impacts test, charity argues

Every time the government develops a new policy, it should systematically assess its impact on people’s mental health, according to a report published by the Centre for Mental Health, a charity, during Mental Health Awareness Week.

The report, Policies for better mental health,  argues that policy proposals across government – from housing and the environment to benefits and immigration – should be tested to assess how likely they are likely to affect people’s mental health before being implemented.

This would involve gathering evidence on the impact any proposed government action would have on people’s mental health and weighing up whether it would result in a net-positive effect. Government could use the information to change policies to produce greater benefits or prevent any harmful impacts before they are implemented.

The report argues that mental health policy tests would improve mental health and reduce mental illness, and lead to better policies overall. All policies have a mental health impact, it argues: “Decisions made at all levels of government and in all departments contribute to the nation’s mental health, for good or ill. For example, transport policy affects people’s access to green spaces and their community hubs; economic policy affects people’s ability to afford life’s essentials. A mental health policy test is not about identifying which policies affect mental health, because they all do.”

Considering the knock-on implications

Doing a mental health policy test, it argues, would help policymakers to consider the knock-on implications of any new proposal. It points to examples where policy testing in local and national government has already led to better outcomes for society. Implementing such tests across all government departments could improve policymaking long-term, it argues.

Explaining how the process would work, the report says that “civil servants and decision makers should come together, provide and curate evidence, and discuss what the likely effects of proposed policies could be. This evidence can be collected from similar policies proposed at a local or international level. Alternatively, they could come from the perspectives of potential stakeholders. Ideally, only policies with positive mental health impacts should be implemented. Once this information is collected, it must be made publicly available, so that government agencies can be held accountable for their mental health impacts.”

The charity points to recent proposals to change personal independence payment (PIP) as an example of a policy with major mental health implications. A robust policy test would alert policymakers to the harms caused by reducing benefits and increasing financial strain on people already struggling with their mental health.

Introducing a policy test could have a lasting impact

It also cites an impact assessment conducted for Bristol City Council’s landlord services to ensure that policy decisions would not negatively impact the mental health of renters, or those looking for housing in the Bristol area. “Additionally,” the report says, “it helped to offer financial protections and housing security, which has been well documented to impact people’s mental health.”

Andy Bell, chief executive at Centre for Mental Health and co-author of the report, said: “Every government policy affects our mental health, for good or ill. A mental health policy test is a simple and effective way of ensuring the greatest benefits and reducing risks. It is uniquely positioned to bring about positive change in everything from education to social security to town planning, by considering how these affect people’s wellbeing.

“We urge the government and all political parties to commit to implementing a robust mental health policy test. Alongside a national mental health plan and a mental health commissioner at the heart of government, the policy test could change the way policies get made and have a major and lasting impact on the lives of millions of people nationwide.”