Tom Pollard

UK Covid-19 Inquiry This is the independent public inquiry to examine the UK’s preparedness and response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and to learn lessons for the future.

Important moment this morning as @mind.org.uk CEO @drsarahhughesceo.bsky.social gives evidence to the Covid-19 Inquiry on the impact of the pandemic on people with mental health problems, mental health services & the mental health of the nation. Watch from 10am here: youtube.com/@ukcovid-19i...

There are less than 5 job vacancies in rotherham for every 100 people claiming universal credit

In Pendle and Hartlepool there are around 5 job vacancies for every 100 people claiming universal credit

NEW: The government wants to boost employment among people who receive universal credit - but our analysis suggests a lack of good-quality jobs is making this near impossible. And, in some local authorities, there’s as few as 5 vacancies for every 100 people on universal credit…

‘What I see in clinic is never a set of labels’: are we in danger of overdiagnosing mental illness? Our current approach to mental health labelling and diagnosis has brought benefits. But as a practising doctor, I am concerned that it may be doing more harm than good

Pieces like this from @drgavinfrancis.bsky.social point to a compassionate, sensitive & constructive debate we could & should be having about how we understand & respond to mental health, in contrast to the crude, boorish way 'overdiagnosis' is usually discussed www.theguardian.com/news/2026/fe...

The second part of this correction gets it wrong again - the 83% stat Milburn was referring to seems to come from 2019 research about the proportion of people showing some warning signs of poor mental health (e.g. feeling stressed, struggling with sleep) in the last year www.gov.uk/government/n...

As with the 83% 'stat', it feels like the conviction that this is just a matter of self-concept, self-efficacy & incentives is once again leading the thinking of key figures, without any firm evidence being presented of causal relationships or any real curiousity about alternative explanations

It's a shift from claiming that "everyday experiences" are being "overdiagnosed" as anxiety & depression, to saying that people do have those conditions but it's "normal" & isn't a real barrier to working

People should absolutely be supported to work where possible but this is denying their reality

Cover of the Times from today, with the top headline saying "Anxiety 'to cause a lost generation on benefits '", based on an interview with Alan Milburn

Some really unhelpful comments in this interview with Alan Milburn, particularly:

"Anxiety is normal. Depression is normal."

And the claim that 83% of the population could be diagnosed with a mental health problem at any given time

It's simply not good enough when stigma is rising again...

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Work, Welfare & Mental Health at King's College London Apply now for the Postdoctoral Research Associate in Work, Welfare & Mental Health role on jobs.ac.uk - the leading job board for higher education jobs. View details.

Job opportunity - we need a fab new colleague to do quant research on work, welfare and mental health within
@kingscsmh.bsky.social (closes 8 Feb)

This is funded until Apr/28, but we'll support you in bids to extend it - please do circulate to suitable ppl!
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQD294/p...

The toxic overdiagnosis narrative is a distraction from the mental health crisis Rising mental distress demands evidence, compassion and reform, not culture wars, denial or barriers to support for young people, writes Sarah Hughes

Media & political noise about "overdiagnosis" has ramped up this year, crowding out more thoughtful & constructive debate about how we should respond to rising levels of mental distress. Mind CEO @drsarahhughesceo.bsky.social points us back in the right direction here www.hsj.co.uk/mental-healt...

It was a lot. I didn’t realise I’d be placed all over social media. I thought it would be just a couple of pictures for something, but it is what it is now. I have thought about it a lot this morning and I had to put my thoughts down on paper.

Stacey from @changingrealities.bsky.social has written such an honest blog about why, even with awful trolling, she won’t stop speaking up for people living in poverty

www.changingrealities.org/blog/why-i-w...

The right’s callous overdiagnosis bandwagon is rolling. Wes Streeting should not be on it | John Harris Thankfully, we now know more about conditions such as autism and ADHD. The health secretary must not be part of this attempt to turn back the clock, says Guardian columnist John Harris

It's right to explore what's driving increased prevalence & what support people need. But as @johnharris1969.bsky.social says, in "a country in which questioning other people’s needs is almost becoming a national sport" the government risks stoking a toxic debate www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Surprising to see an institution with the impeccable moral integrity of FIFA toadying up to Trump

I realise now that my view on mental health overdiagnosis was divisive. We all need better evidence | Wes Streeting The surge in mental ill health is hugely distressing. That’s why I’ve commissioned a review to find out what’s driving it, says health secretary Wes Streeting

This is a welcome & reflective intervention. 'Overdiagnosis' is a simplistic & stigmatising explanation for what, in reality, is a complex interplay of health, social & economic factors. The focus should be on getting people the right support at the right time www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Huge moment to finally see the two-child limit scrapped. It has been a machine for driving up child poverty, which will cost us all more in the long term, scarring the lives of those directly hit by its cruel impact. Credit to everyone who has tirelessly campaigned for its end

Finally, the only way to support significant numbers of young people to overcome the barriers they face, particularly around mental health, will be to foster genuine engagement & offer genuine opportunities. Reverting to compliance & cuts again would be a huge mistake /5

This means listening to young people directly & accounting for the whole range of social, emotional & economic factors that they have experienced

There are some welcome comments on this in McFadden's Times interview, including recognition that this is an "issue of inequality" /4

One thing I've learnt from frontline practice is that if you start from a position of assuming people are trying their best in the circumstances they're facing, you're much more likely to understand how they have ended up where they are & what might help them to progress /3

First & foremost, it mustn't start with lazy pre-conceptions about young people's character, motivation & honesty

Positive to see Pat McFadden's response to the question of 'overdiagnosis': "I don't want to play amateur doctor. I want to approach this with sensitivity." /2

Inquiry to review rising levels of youth inactivity Former Labour Health Secretary Alan Milburn will lead the investigation, with conclusions set to be published next summer.

Any genuine attempt to better understand what is going on around young people, unemployment & poor health is welcome, especially as an alternative to rushing to propose further benefit cuts

Critical that this review gets some key things right though... 🧵
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The full @mind.org.uk report is available here: t.co/9Vf4fyNnD5

Mental health affecting education attendance 'for half of young people', says report A charity providing early intervention and crisis support tells Sky News it's seen an increase in young people using its services since the pandemic.

Powerful Sky News piece on the need for better support services for young people's mental health, based a new
@mind.org.uk report

Long waits for support are impacting young people's mental & physical health, as well as their education & employment news.sky.com/story/mental...

Quote from BBC News article: Mental health charity Mind's head of policy Tom Pollard said Reform's plan seemed muddled and did not appear to "bear any relation to how this benefit actually works", not least because PIP is not an out of work benefit. "People have to prove they face significant health and disability-related barriers in their day-to-day lives to qualify for Pip, and it is not based on diagnosis," he said. "Anxiety can have a debilitating impact, and many people will also have multiple and complex health issues when anxiety is recorded as their 'primary condition'."

.@mind.org.uk's response to Reform's proposals to "cut PIP payments to people with anxiety" in this BBC News
piece: bbc.co.uk/news/article...

So much of the political debate around PIP betrays a complete lack of understanding of what the benefit is for, who gets it & how it's assessed

PIP is assessed based on the impact of health problems & disabilities (often multiple & complex) on someone's ability to live independently

Saying "we'll stop PIP for people with anxiety" just bears no relation to the reality of how the benefit operates www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10...

Government ‘must go further and faster on hubs for youngsters’ mental health’ A report by mental health charity Mind said many young people are reaching crisis point before they receive any kind of care.

Coverage of @mind.org.uk's new report on youth mental health

Government plans for 50 youth hubs are welcome, but a serious response to the scale of the crisis requires services like this in every local authority, as part of a wider youth mental health strategy www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Suicide rates among young people in England rose 50% in 10 years, figures show Charities accuse government of ‘sliding backwards’ on child mental health after ONS findings

Heartbreaking figures. The causes will, of course, be complex. But a caricatured debate about 'overdiagnosis' is a dangerous distraction when, as @mind.org.uk's @gemmabyrne.bsky.social says here, over half a million under-18s are on mental health waiting lists www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Important work by @kslharrison.bsky.social of @citizensadvice.bsky.social - 'support conversations' between DWP & disabled people should about genuine engagement, not just process-driven compliance. That means being voluntary, empathic, flexible & holistic www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publi...

You can find the full analysis here by Health Equity North here: committees.parliament.uk/writtenevide...

How Reeves could save £12bn without cutting disability benefits Billions could be recouped by the Treasury by offering careers support for the disabled

Welcome intervention, commissioned by @debbieabrahamsmp.bsky.social's Work and Pensions Select Committee, to demonstrate that better employment support for disabled people could generate significant fiscal savings, without needing to rely on crude cuts to benefits inews.co.uk/news/politic...

‘Alarming rise’ in mental health stigma in England, research shows One in 10 people unwilling to live next to someone who has been mentally ill even if they have recovered, Mind reports

After many years of hard-fought progress on attitudes towards mental health, things seem to be slipping

Simplistic, often malicious, narratives about people's experiences & motivations, alongside the fallout of under-funded services, are increasing stigma www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Sick who go back to work end up in low-paid, physically tough jobs Only a tiny fraction of economically inactive find a job each year, and it is often an unsuitable role where they can only last a few months, research shows

"Pushing people into insecure, physical, inflexible work when they are already challenged by disability or mental health problems is futile. These jobs don’t work and they don’t last"

Spot on from @claremcneil.bsky.social - important work by @timewise.bsky.social www.thetimes.com/business-mon...