PM due to make major speech announcing Government help to tackle mental health

Theresa May is expected to announce Government action on mental health in a major domestic policy speech on Monday, including moves to help bring down the number of suicides.

The speech will unveil the Government's formal response to last year's report by an NHS England task force which called for action to ensure "parity of esteem" for sufferers from mental and physical conditions, reported The Guardian.

The Prime Minister is expected to set out steps schools can take to identify and assist mentally vulnerable pupils, including those whose mental welfare may be affected by the pressures of social media.

And she is expected to detail measures employers can take to help staff forced to take time off work due to mental health problems.

Speaking outside Downing Street on her first day in office last July, Mrs May listed shortcomings in mental health services as one of the "burning injustices" she wanted to address as Prime Minister, saying she was aware that "if you suffer from mental health problems, there's not enough help to hand".

Monday's address will be her first major speech on health issues since coming to power, seven months into a premiership which has so far been dominated by Brexit.