Calls to mental health helplines double in Manchester under Covid restrictions

Increase reported by police and specialist services prompts council leader to call for more nuanced approach

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Calls to police and specialist services about mental health have almost doubled in Manchester while people have been isolated at home, prompting the leader of the city council to call for a more balanced and proportionate approach to lockdown.

Sir Richard Leese, who heads Manchester city council and is also deputy mayor of Greater Manchester, said the government needed a new strategy to tackle outbreaks which “brings into play mental health and other health risks including those caused by poverty and economic inactivity, and one that allows the economy to fully function”.

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