# FILE NAME: 00000411.soc
# TITLE: Should we spend more on mental health services? [7d767979ecce28eb5cdcf431b9cc6a31]
# DESCRIPTION: 
# DATA TYPE: soc
# MODIFICATION TYPE: original
# RELATES TO: 
# RELATED FILES: 
# PUBLICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# MODIFICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# NUMBER ALTERNATIVES: 4
# NUMBER VOTERS: 5
# NUMBER UNIQUE ORDERS: 4
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 1: Statement 1 - Yes, more should be spent on mental health services. The rate of suicides is always increasing and with the financial hardships we are all facing at the ,moment I believe that the increase in mental health services would be very helpful. I also believe we need more mental health services for men as they are the main people to be committing suicide.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 2: Statement 2 - We believe that more should be spent on mental health services as this is an area that we see in the media and in comments from friends and colleagues. We think that mental health is an area of weakness in our health service that needs further work. The deaths of people who could not get the support they needed is common and there seems to be no cure for some mental health issues. The waiting list to be referred for mental health is to long and much more support should be given to help people. The current pandemic and previous lockdowns has affected mental health for many people and they are still not getting the help needed. We agree with the current government's plan to increase funding for mental health services by at least £2.3 billion per year by 2023/24. We agree that they should be held accountable for this promise and believe that these funds should be ring-fenced so that they can be monitored and the promises can be kept.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 3: Statement 3 - We believe that more should be spent on mental health services as this is an area that we see in the media and in comments from friends and colleagues. We think that mental health is an area of weakness in our health service that needs further work. The deaths of people who could not get the support they needed is common and there seems to be no cure for some mental health issues. The waiting list to be referred for mental health is to long and much more support should be given to help people. The current pandemic and previous lockdowns has affected mental health for many people and they are still not getting the help needed. Conclusion I hope that the above example helps to provide an illustration of the consensus building process. While I was initially sceptical about whether or not consensus building would work, I now believe that it can be a very effective process when you get the right group of people together. It’s very important to choose the right people who will not simply bully others into submission. It’s also important to choose people who are genuinely interested in reaching consensus and not simply looking for ways to start an argument. I think consensus building is especially good for discussing important issues where people may not always agree but they have some common ground to build
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 4: Statement 4 - We believe that more should be spent on mental health services as this is an area that we see in the media and in comments from friends and colleagues. We think that mental health is an area of weakness in our health service that needs further work. The deaths of people who could not get the support they needed is common and there seems to be no cure for some mental health issues. The waiting list to be referred for mental health is to long and much more support should be given to help people. The current pandemic and previous lockdowns has affected mental health for many people and they are still not getting the help needed. Conclusion The above exercise clearly shows that the consensus building process can work, even in a highly polarized environment. The fact that each participant gave their individual opinion and then, together with other participants, built on the draft consensus statement, shows that consensus can be reached on very difficult topics, even if everyone comes with their own pre-conceived opinions.
2: 2,1,4,3
1: 2,3,4,1
1: 3,4,2,1
1: 4,3,2,1