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Cross party group of MPs say expanding mindfulness provision in the NHS could save £15 for every £1 spent.

The Mindful Nation UK report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Mindfulness lays out evidence and makes recommendations as to how mindfulness can improve wellbeing.

"Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy offers a new choice for millions of people with recurrent depression. Its broader vision for a nation where schools, prisons, the health service and workplaces are more mindful is compelling.

- Professor Willem Kuyken, OMC Director

 

The Mindful Nation UK report is the result of a 12-month inquiry by the APPG on Mindfulness into how mindfulness training can benefit UK services and institutions. 

This Parliamentary work represents the first time that mindfulness has been seriously considered as national public policy. The Oxford Mindfulness Centre (OMC), which sits within the University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry, has supported the Mindfulness APPG work since its inception and offers mindfulness classes in Westminster to peers, MPs and staff.    

Recommendations of the report include:

  • Commissioning Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in the NHS for the 580,000 adults at risk of recurrent depression each year, in line with National Institute For Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. Research indicates that incorporating MBCT into the Improving Access To Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme could save £15 for every £1 spent, offering people an alternative to antidepressants, use of which has increased by 500% in 20 years.
  • Creating three mindfulness Teaching Schools (to be selected by the Department of Education) to pioneer mindfulness teaching, co-ordinate and develop innovation, and disseminate best practice.
  • Training government staff in mindfulness, especially in the health, education and criminal justice sectors.
  • Researching the use of mindfulness training for offender populations in the criminal justice system.

Read the Mindful Nation UK report, and more about the OMC here.

 

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