English: I'm very pleased to participate in this important debate today. I want to concentrate on how public services can assist in terms of mental health care, but also how public services can have a detrimental impact in this area. If I could start with the health service. Unfortunately, we're staging this debate whilst there is another inquiry into mental health care in the Betsi Cadwaladr area. It's important to recall why the board was placed into special measures despite the fantastic work of most front-line staff. The Tawel Fan scandal was quite appalling, and it demonstrated the clear need to improve the way in which mental health patients are treated within the NHS. The lack of services in north Wales and the shortage of beds is certainly a problem. This has led to a situation, between April and July of this year, over a period of just four months, where 91 patients were sent from the Betsi area to England to receive treatment. That's 91 patients at a cost of around £1 million; never mind, of course, the impact on those individuals themselves. Last week, too, we heard the story of one patient who had been treated in the Betsi area who then had to go to Essex for treatment because of a shortage of bed, because the Hergest unit in Bangor was full. Of course, that unit has been full every month, with the exception of one, since October of last year. Promoting good mental health is a responsibility on all of our public services. Each service can make a contribution in this area. For example, planning and environmental departments need to promote access to open spaces and active travel, as we discussed earlier. There is clear evidence that access to greenfield sites, even within our cities, has a positive impact on mental health. There was a study carried out by the school of medicine in Exeter that proved this, and a study in the Netherlands, which questioned over 300,000 people, demonstrates a number of things - for example, that there was a positive relationship between reduced mental health problems and the availability of green spaces. There was a strong link in terms of anxiety, and that was stronger in terms of children and those of a lower socioeconomic status. Public services also have a responsibility to care for their own workforce. Stress is more of a problem in public sector areas such as health and social care, education, public administration and defence. Members of the emergency services face an even greater risk and are less likely to seek assistance. But of all the public services that need to raise their game, there is one service that stands out and deserves harsh criticism, namely the Department for Work and Pensions and job centres. There is room to believe that the DWP is actually exacerbating mental health problems. Very thorough research has been carried out by Mind, which actually highlights these problems. Three times as many benefit sanctions have been introduced for those people who do have mental health problems than those who were supported to go into work, and participating in the Work Programme has actually made these problems worse. Mind's findings are quite appalling. For example, 83 per cent stated that their self-respect had been affected, and 76 per cent said that they felt less ready for work, having been to one of these schemes that were supposed to encourage them back to the workplace. Eighty-six per cent stated that they needed more assistance, and one in four actually had to attend hospital while attending these programmes. That is entirely unacceptable. Welfare reform has had a disproportionate effect on those people with mental health issues. The assessments failed to take into account the needs of those with mental health problems in the assessment itself, and also in terms of the stress that people with mental health problems face in undertaking that income assessment test. Unfortunately, the stress is around failing the ability-to-work assessment, and then the long-winded appeals process, has led to a number of suicides, which is tragic. The culture within DWP, under a number of UK Governments, has made people ill, and this Assembly should send a clear message to state that such a situation is disgraceful and unacceptable. We must emphasise that we must stop harming people before we can actually help them.
Welsh: Rwy'n falch iawn o gael siarad yn y ddadl bwysig yma heddiw. Rwyf am ganolbwyntio ar sut y mae gwasanaethau cyhoeddus yn gallu helpu o safbwynt gofal iechyd meddwl, ond hefyd sut y mae gwasanaethau cyhoeddus yn gallu cael effaith andwyol yn y maes yma. Gan ddechrau efo'r gwasanaeth iechyd, yn anffodus rydym yn cynnal y ddadl hon tra bod ymchwiliad arall yn digwydd i ofal iechyd meddwl yn ardal Betsi Cadwaladr. Mae'n bwysig cofio pam y bu i'r bwrdd fynd i fesurau arbennig, er gwaethaf gwaith rhagorol y rhan fwyaf o'r staff rheng flaen. Roedd sgandal Tawel Fan yn erchyll, ac mae'n dangos yr angen clir i wella'r ffordd y mae cleifion iechyd meddwl yn cael eu trin o fewn yr NHS. Mae yna ddiffyg gwasanaethau yn y gogledd, a diffyg gwlâu yn sicr. Mae hyn wedi arwain at sefyllfa lle, rhwng Ebrill a Gorffennaf y flwyddyn yma, dros gyfnod o ddim ond pedwar mis, fe anfonwyd 91 o gleifion o ardal Betsi i Loegr i dderbyn triniaeth - 91, a hynny ar gost o bron £1 miliwn, heb sôn am yr effaith ar yr unigolion. Wythnos diwethaf hefyd, cafwyd hanes un claf a oedd wedi derbyn triniaeth yn ardal Betsi eisoes, ond yn gorfod mynd wedyn i dderbyn triniaeth yn Essex oherwydd prinder gwlâu, gan fod uned Hergest ym Mangor yn llawn. Yn wir, mae'r uned honno wedi bod yn llawn bob mis heblaw am un ers mis Hydref y flwyddyn diwethaf. Mae hyrwyddo iechyd meddwl da yn gyfrifoldeb i bob un o'r gwasanaethau cyhoeddus, ac mae pob gwasanaeth yn gallu cyfrannu at hyn. Er enghraifft, mae angen i adrannau cynllunio ac amgylcheddol hyrwyddo mynediad at lefydd gwyrdd, agored, ac i deithio llesol, sef y pwnc y buom yn ei drafod yn gynharach. Mae yna dystiolaeth bendant fod mynediad at fannau gwyrdd, hyd yn oed o fewn ein dinasoedd, yn cael effaith bositif ar iechyd meddwl. Fe wnaed astudiaeth gan ysgol feddygol Exeter a oedd yn profi hyn, ac mae yna astudiaeth a wnaed yn yr Iseldiroedd, drwy holi dros 300,000 o bobl, yn dangos nifer o bethau - er enghraifft, bod cysylltiad positif rhwng llai o salwch meddwl a mwy o lefydd gwyrdd. Roedd y cysylltiad cryf ar gyfer anhwylder pryder ac iselder, ac roedd y cysylltiad cryfaf ar gyfer plant a phobl o statws economaidd-gymdeithasol is. Mae gan y gwasanaethau cyhoeddus hefyd ddyletswydd i ofalu am eu gweithwyr eu hunain. Mae straen yn fwy o broblem mewn meysydd sector cyhoeddus fel addysg, iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol, gweinyddiaeth gyhoeddus ac amddiffyn. Mae aelodau'r gwasanaethau brys yn wynebu risg hyd yn oed yn fwy, ond eto maent yn llai tebygol o chwilio am help. Ond, o'r holl wasanaethau cyhoeddus sydd angen codi eu gêm, mae un gwasanaeth yn sefyll allan ac angen ei feirniadu yn galed, sef yr Adran Gwaith a Phensiynau a'r ganolfan waith. Mae yna le i gredu bod y DWP yn gwneud problemau iechyd meddwl yn waeth. Mae ymchwil trwyadl iawn gan Mind yn tanlinellu'r problemau. Mae tair gwaith yn fwy o sancsiynau budd-dal wedi'u cyflwyno i bobl efo problemau iechyd meddwl na'r nifer a gafodd eu cefnogi i fynd i mewn i waith. Mae cymryd rhan yn y Rhaglen Waith wedi gwaethygu problemau. Mae canfyddiadau Mind yn erchyll. Er enghraifft, roedd 83 y cant yn dweud eu bod eu hunan-barch nhw yn waeth, ac roedd 76 y cant yn dweud eu bod yn teimlo'n llai parod i weithio ar ôl bod i un o'r cynlluniau a oedd i fod i'w hannog i fynd yn ôl i waith. Roedd 86 y cant yn dweud eu bod nhw angen mwy o help, a bu'n rhaid i un o bob pedwar fynd i'r ysbyty tra'n mynychu rhaglenni nôl i waith - sefyllfa hollol annerbyniol. Mae diwygio lles wedi cael effaith anghyfartal ar bobl sydd â phroblemau iechyd meddwl. Mae'r asesiadau yn methu â rhoi ystyriaeth i anghenion y rhai sydd â phroblemau iechyd meddwl - yn yr asesiad ei hun, ac yn sicr o ran y straen y mae pobl sydd â phroblemau iechyd meddwl yn ei wynebu wrth wneud y prawf asesiad incwm. Yn anffodus, mae'r straen o gwmpas methu asesiad gallu i weithio, ac wedyn y broses apêl hirwyntog, wedi arwain at nifer o hunanladdiadau trasig. Mae arferion a diwylliant yr Adran Gwaith a Phensiynau o dan sawl Llywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig wedi gwneud pobl yn sâl, a dylai'r Cynulliad yma anfon neges glir i ddweud bod sefyllfa felly'n warthus ac yn annerbyniol. Rhaid inni bwysleisio bod angen stopio niweidio pobl cyn bod modd inni eu helpu nhw.