It would be remiss of me not to start by welcoming the work that this Government has done and their commitment to improve mental health and mental health services, whether that be through increased funding for services, support for campaigns to end stigma, or the mental health Measure. But, as the Cabinet Secretary’s alluded to, and it should always the be the case in everything we do in politics and public life to achieve better outcomes and a better Wales, while much has been done, there are always ways in which we can build on this.

The draft delivery plan, and the outcome measures outlined in it, are a positive progress to be welcomed, but there remains scope for the Welsh Government to collect consistent outcome data across all mental health services, and serious consideration should be given to the performance measures put forward by the Wales Alliance for Mental Health—measures that capture patient experience, patient outcomes, clinical outcomes, and views from professionals.

Today, I wish to specifically focus on aspects of the ‘Together for Mental Health’ strategy that relate to the workplace in Wales. The recent recession and related threats to job security have not just placed financial pressures on workers in Wales, but have also been hard on people’s health and well-being too. Research by the mental health charity Mind reveals that one in 10 have resigned due to job stress, one in four have thought about it, and one in five people take a day off due to stress. In addition, Gofal highlights that trade union reps have reported that colleagues are approaching them on a much more regular basis to talk about mental health problems and to ask for information and support. Promoting mental well-being in the workplace and preventing and tackling mental health problems is made more prescient in the current economic climate, with low wages and job uncertainty—uncertainty that I feel could increase as a consequence of the unchartered waters we now find ourselves in post Brexit, and this can impact on mental health. Therefore, accessible support systems within the workplace and work environment are important. This can be done through Government and businesses measuring mental health problems in the workplace, and supporting trade unions, particularly equality works. I know that a lot of the right-wing press and politicians would have you believe the rhetoric of ‘these evil trade unions’, but the reps on the ground are amazing people who give their time voluntarily, and, in this instance, offer a link between worker and support services, as well as helping raise awareness and understanding of mental health in the workplace.

I’m sure that the Cabinet Secretary agrees with me that trade union reps play a vital role in promoting good mental health and well-being in the workplace, and may often be the first point of contact for workers who are experiencing mental health problems. The draft delivery plan sets out a number of actions relating to the workplace—actions that again could be built upon in order to better assess the impact of the strategy on workplace mental health and well-being in the public sector. Specifically, the recommendation of the mental health charity Gofal that surveying public sector staff regarding their mental health and well-being, and actively seeking out, understanding and responding accordingly, could see an overall improvement in staff mental health and well-being.

Finally, the importance of recognising and supporting mental health and well-being at work demonstrates all too clearly the need for mental health and well-being to cut right across the work of this Welsh Government. If we are really to deliver on the promise of ‘Together for Mental Health’ there needs to be exactly that—not solely a health strategy, but working together to place mental health as a priority for all Government departments from economy to education, housing and beyond.