North East mental health charity teams up with local MPs to help tackle cost of living increase

Following the Chancellor’s Spring Statement, a North East mental health charity has teamed up with two regional MPs to call on the Government to do more to support the health and wellbeing of those most impacted by the rising cost of living.

Mental Health Concern, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, has teamed up with Kate Osborne, MP for Jarrow, and Sharon Hodgson, MP for Washington and Sunderland West to help put pressure on the Government to increase its level of support for those in the lowest income brackets.

The charity works across the region, providing mental health support through a range of project initiatives including social prescribing, peer support, and offering advice and help in times of crisis. It has seen a significant rise in cases of people struggling severely with their mental health, as a result of the cost-of-living increase.

The team at Mental Health Concern is “adapting” the way it works to provide resources such as food parcels and practical support. In addition, the charity is also teaming up with MPs to ensure more is done to support those most vulnerable, including the use of specific cases to put pressure on the Government.

Adam Crampsie, chief executive of Mental Health Concern said: “We know people in the lowest 20 per cent income bracket in Britain are two to three times more likely to develop mental health problems than those in the highest.

“Our team is working around the clock to support people who are at breaking point, but there is only so much we can do on our own. I am so pleased to have the backing of MPs Kate Osborne and Sharon Hodgson in calling for the Government to do more for our country’s most vulnerable people.”

Kate Osborne, MP for Jarrow, commented: “I met with Adam Crampsie recently to discuss the work charities like Mental Health Concern are doing in offering integrated mental health support to people who are struggling with the impact and pressures of the cost-of-living. It is so important that more is done to protect and support the most vulnerable in our society.”

Sharon Hodgson, MP for Washington and Sunderland West, added: “Serious concerns about the trajectory of effects of the cost of living crisis for vulnerable people must be taken seriously.

“The work done by organisations like Mental Health Concern to help those in crisis receive immediate care and help them rebuild their lives with security and respect is so important, but I worry that their job will only become harder.”