PICTURES and VIDEO: Green Party leadership unveils policy to tackle Britain's "mental health crisis" on Worcester visit

The party's national leadership used the city's Fort Royal Park as a backdrop to reveal a significant element of their manifesto this morning, saying Britain faces a mental health "pandemic".

Under the Green's promise, anyone referred for therapy will be guaranteed to start their treatment within 28 days of a referral.

The party says at the moment over 40 per cent of people wait for three months on the NHS, with "one in 10" waiting an entire year.

On top of that pledge, schools will also be asked to offer children an hour's worth of self-esteem classes per week.

Mr Bartley said the curriculum change would allow schools to use it flexibly, with 'well-being' sessions extended to primary schools if they wish.

As well as offering therapy, schools would be encouraged to offer "empathy lessons" to reduce bullying.

Mr Bartley said: "It's so vital that we take real action on this - it's no overstatement to say that Britain is living through a mental health crisis.

"From depression, to anxiety to eating disorders - one in four of us will experience a mental health problem every year.

"It feels like nobody is talking about it - almost no-one is taking it seriously and our Government is failing to offer real solutions."

He accused the Government of "shaping a society which seems almost custom built to wreck people’s mental health", pointing to debt being "piled onto young people".

He said too many housing tenants are "breathing damp air in flats they can’t afford to rent, only one paycheck away from homelessness".

Mr Bartley also told the gathering more people are living in social isolation, and hit out over foodbank use.

"It’s Tory policies which are fuelling the mental health crisis - and not just their horrendous spending record on mental health," he said.

During the policy launch they also said some people with mental health issues are "forced to sleep in prison cells" due to a lack of beds, and said the proportion of the public health budget spent on the issue has halved since 2013.

Green Party deputy leader Amelia Womack, who was also at the policy launch, said: "Three out of four people who are suffering a mental health problem are not being given the support they need.

"We need to take action if we want to save lives.

"Making people wait months and months and months for urgent treatment is a disgrace to our health system.

"Families are being torn apart, livelihoods are being lost and people are dying."

A group of Green activists accompanied them on today's launch including Councillor Louis Stephen, the party's Worcester parliamentary candidate for June's snap General Election.