Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Here’s something I’ve learnt over the years; never ask anyone how they are unless we truly have time to hear the truth.  Good health is often something we take for granted until we don’t have it - and good mental health precedes everything else in life.  Covid-19 and the ensuing fallout has manifested in so many ways for so many different people.   The initial inability to work followed by inability to justify retaining some jobs was closely followed by the train crash in mental health seen in adults and adolescents.  Those with expertise in treating mental health saw fewer children and teenagers last year largely due to the ongoing disruptions caused by the pandemic.  This wasn’t only due to the inability to get into a critical first scheduled appointment; it was also the inability for our healthcare professionals to recruit into mental health services.  Our mental health professionals have told the Government that the pandemic has disproportionately affected our young people and that the effects will be ong