Chief Executive of the ACP, Dr Nick Waggett, Speaks on behalf of child psychotherapists at a lobby of parliament organised by Unite in support of applied psychologists working in the NHS.
Unite had organised the Applied Psychologists Matter lobby with an urgent call on government to deliver on its promise to boost mental health funding in the face of plummeting morale. Speakers included Jonathan Ashworth MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, other members of the shadow health team, and applied psychologists from around the country.
ACP members present included Unite representatives Julia Mikardo, Danny Goldberger and Selina Perocevic, Non-Executive Director Mary Walker, and Geraldine Vivian who had travelled up from Plymouth.
Nick spoke about the pressures that are making it increasingly difficult for child psychotherapists and other applied psychologists to work with the skill and competency that their trainings afford, and the links between a demoralised and depleted workforce and poor service delivery as seen in Mid-Staffordshire and elsewhere.
He said, "The government needs to listen to the frontline workforce of applied psychologists gathered here and around the country who are telling them that things aren’t working." See Dr Nick Waggett's full speech here