Blackpool’s mental health needs are extreme – we need support that matches them
New figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show what too many of us already know – Blackpool is carrying one of the heaviest mental health burdens in the country.
Across Lancashire, 41,965 people claim PIP for psychiatric disorders. Out of those, 6,300 are right here in Blackpool. That’s more than anywhere else in the county and the difference is stark.
Over 2,000 people here claim PIP for mixed anxiety and depression; 767 for autism; 329 for ADHD; 682 for mood disorders like bipolar and 521 for psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. Out of the 20 individual psychiatric disorders which are eligible for PIP Blackpool had the highest number for 15; and the second-highest for four others. Compare us to Ribble Valley, which has fewer than 1,000 claimants in total, and the scale of the challenge is clear.
These aren’t just statistics. These are our neighbours, friends and family – thousands of people in our town struggling every day, waiting too long for help and dealing with a system that has failed them for too long. And this isn’t just personal – it slows down our economy, because people are stuck claiming PIP rather than fully taking part in work or community life which only serves to exacerbate their problems.
Chris Whitty’s report in 2021 spelled out the health inequalities in coastal towns like ours. I’ve raised this in Parliament time and again. I’ve spoken about the lives lost, including the tragic case of Jamie Pearson who took his own life in A&E after waiting nearly 24 hours for support.
We’ve got brilliant people working on the ground. Charities like Counselling in the Community are stepping in to plug the gap in the NHS. They’re powered by volunteers and trainee counsellors, doing more with less because the need is so great. But they can’t do it alone.
The government has taken steps in the right direction. NHS 111 now has a 24/7 mental health line, every A&E has a psychiatric liaison team, and there’s funding for new crisis centres around the country. Reforms are coming through the new Mental Health Bill too, giving people more say in their treatment and involving families and carers where appropriate. These are all moves that matter, but in Blackpool demand is so high that what’s being rolled out nationally will struggle to meet the scale of need here.
Blackpool needs real targeted investment. We need services that treat people with dignity and respect, prevention as well as crisis care and to stop seeing people detained in police cells instead of supported in proper healthcare settings.
Blackpool has been left behind for too long. Deprivation, poor housing and insecure work all add to the pressure on people’s mental health. But with the right support people here can thrive.
Following the publication of these new statistics I’ve submitted written questions to the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health and Social Care, pressing them on what they will do to tackle the scale of need in Blackpool. After recess, I’ll raise this again in the Commons.
This is about fairness. It’s about making sure people in our town get the same chance at a healthy, happy life as anyone else in the country.
