Tweet

Jonathan Ashworth 😷💙

4 Feb, 11 tweets, 5 min read

1. UNICEF warn ‘children are not the face of this pandemic. But they risk being amongst its biggest victims.’

Children are missing social interaction & play. Learning is not the same.

It’s our priority especially in #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek that every child’s health matters.

2. While children’s health has long been one of my top priorities, I am more worried than ever about how tough things are for young people today. As a parent I’m struck by how often my own children ask “when will coronavirus end?”
#ChildrensMentalHealthWeek

@NHSDigital

3. Mental health problems in children are on the rise – from 1 in 9 in 2017 to 1 in 6 in 2020, according to figures from @NHSDigital. And during the pandemic things have been tougher than ever.

@NacoaUK

4. Children have experienced loss, uncertainty and isolation without the support systems they usually rely on. As I've spoken about before, I also worry about the many children who are now facing parental substance abuse alone @NacoaUK

@DrRosena

5. Minister must do more.

In January @DrRosena and I welcomed the first steps to #MentalHealthAct reform – which will help - though changes are long overdue

But what we really need is a properly funded system that can fulfil the needs of children & young people.

@ChildrensComm

7. As covered in this excellent report from @ChildrensComm, services are still far off meeting the level of need & huge numbers of children are left without support

childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/report/mental-…

@BPSOfficial

8. @BPSOfficial have called for:

🍏 An initial rocket boost of funding to support children’s mental health and wellbeing

🍏 A long-term workforce investment strategy

🍏 More support directly in schools & leading the new Mental Health Support Teams...

@UKLabour

9. More support is crucial. And @UKLabour has previously called for

🍏 A network of children’s mental health hubs to provide increased support.

🍏 Mental health support in every school.

Initiatives like this are urgently needed given the pandemic.

@Place2Be

10. There are some fantastic organisations working on this, like @Place2Be & all members of @CYPMentalHealth. The will is there & we have the evidence. We just need leadership & commitment from ministers.

@wavetrust

11. Labour has also called for services to be trauma informed. The impact of adverse childhood experiences is clear. @wavetrust has produced groundbreaking research on this that all are interested in children’s well-being should study.

12. As Nelson Mandela said “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children”

Let’s pay #ChildrenMentalHealth the attention it deserves – through our actions & not just our words.
#ChildrensMentalHealthWeek ends.

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More from @JonAshworth

Jonathan Ashworth 😷💙

@JonAshworth

30 Jan

@russelldavies63

1. Last night I finished #ItsASin @russelldavies63, the director, amazing cast have given us a beautiful gift with #ItsASin. The 80s music, the politics, the friendship. Perfect. Fun but also serious. By episode 3 (no spoilers) I was in bits. Tears continued until the end #La

2. I’ve never worried sex could result in a death sentence. Even as the child of an alcoholic, have never had that sense of loneliness, nor fear of dying alone. Nor had my life stigmatised. While HIV can affect everyone, #ItsASin demonstrates why it lives in the LGBT experience

3. Thankfully the HIV/AIDS of the #ItsASin period is very different to HIV today – it is not a death sentence, those diagnosed early have normal life expectancy, those on treatment CANT PASS IT ON, and we have a HIV prevention drug #PrEP to help people stay negative.

Read 10 tweets

Jonathan Ashworth 😷💙

@JonAshworth

31 Jul 20

1. Its welcome there is Boris Johnson press conference. I totally understand the need for the restrictions announced last night - the ONS estimates infections are rising, we’re seeing a resurgence in Europe, we have the highest excess deaths in Europe & ministers were too slow.

2. But the way in which you restrictions were announced has caused confusion, upset and anxiety. In a pandemic we need clarity from ministers not muddle. At the Press Conferenve Johnson should explain:

3. MPs in areas impacted were invited onto a 8.30 zoom call last night at 8.04. I appreciate the briefing but surely there the govt can put in place a better procedure for announcing decisions like this.

Read 13 tweets

Jonathan Ashworth 😷💙

@JonAshworth

31 May 20

1. Labour called for the lockdown. We were concerned social distancing measures were not being adhered to. We will continue to argue easing of restrictions must be done gradually with caution and safely.

2. This virus hasn’t gone away, it could easily get out of control again. While we are past peak we still have thousands of cases daily and as the Deputy CMO indicated yesterday we still don’t fully understand why.

3. Hundreds are still losing their life to this horrific disease every week. We have one of the highest excess death rates in world (amongst nations that produce the data).

Read 16 tweets

Jonathan Ashworth 😷💙

@JonAshworth

23 Apr 20

1. Labour called for the lockdown but we’ve always warned it was a blunt tool unless we used this time to develop a testing, isolate and trace strategy.

We’ve asked why tracing was missing from the government strategy so today’s announcement is important.

2. But we were promised 100,000 tests a day by the end of the month. Not testing capacity at 100,000. We’re still not carrying out the numbers of tests we need to. In particular we should be doing so much more to test care workers. They shouldn’t have to travel miles for a test.

3. So far there has been confusion over the importance of contact tracing.

On 17th April Matt Hancock floated the possibility of restarting community testing, contact tracing and quarantine, a policy the government abandoned on 12th March

Read 10 tweets

Jonathan Ashworth 😷💙

@JonAshworth

22 Mar 20

1. Ahead of the next government press conference we’re urging the Prime Minister to set out the serious next steps needed to tackle this virus.

2. Far too many people are either confused by the government’s social distancing measures or choose to ignore them. This cannot continue in a public health emergency. Ministers must explain how they escalate the response.

3. We have called for and welcomed measures including banning mass gatherings and pub closures. But if social distancing measures are not working the government must take stronger action.

Read 6 tweets

Jonathan Ashworth 😷💙

@JonAshworth

20 Mar 20

1. Coronavirus exploits ambivalence. Yet confused briefings and lack of clarity undermines the social distancing measures urgently needed. This is a health crisis not an inconvenience. We all need to change behaviour but we need government action as well.

2. It is time for resolute action and not just advice. The Prime Minister must take urgent steps today in line with effective measures used elsewhere internationally.

3. Many now questioning why pubs and restaurants are still open. It’s not good enough to ask people simply not to go pubs. Government must act now, shut them while protecting the income of staff and supporting business. If ministers don’t think it’s correct they must explain why.

Read 5 tweets

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