Sheffield councillors warn Brexit uncertainty is putting more pressure on overstretched mental health services

Councillors Steve Ayris and Mohammed Mahroof have put forward a motion to full council raising ‘grave concerns’ about the way the government was assessing and dealing with the risks associated with leaving the European Union with a bad or no deal.

In their motion statement, Coun Ayris said: "NHS mental health trust directors are seeing greater social isolation, deprivation and homelessness increasingly driving demand for mental health services and changing the nature of the support that trusts need to provide. This trend has only been compounded by continued cuts to local authority budgets and subsequent decommissioning of important local early intervention specialist mental health services.

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"[I am] dismayed that no Mental Well-being Impact Assessment (MWIA) has been published by the Government of any Brexit deal or ‘no deal’.

"[I have] grave concerns about the predicted shortages of food and prescribed drugs and medicine supplies in the realistic assessment by the cabinet office in its Operation Yellowhammer report and the disproportionate impact this would have on crisis mental health sufferers."

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He urged future government to boost support for these services.

The motion will be debated at a full council meeting on Wednesday, December 4.