We have very good health services in Swindon, staffed by dedicated, caring and hard-working professionals.

But occasionally the system for accessing these services can let us down. In particular, there are long-standing concerns that accessing mental health services in Swindon is not as straightforward as it should be.

Mental health conditions are often hidden, can go undiagnosed or untreated, and still carry a stigma.

This has got to change. I’ve been working with many organisations both inside and outside Parliament to bring about reforms. We have achieved a change in the law so that the NHS now views mental health conditions with the same importance as physical ones – the so-called ‘parity of esteem’.

Despite this, it can still sometimes be difficult to know where to turn.

I have long been pushing for a simple, speedy and reliable approach to accessing mental health services in Swindon. Now, I’m delighted to say that things are moving forward.

The Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership has launched a consultation to seek the views of staff, service users and carers.

The aim is to achieve a single point of contact so that anyone who needs to access mental health services in Swindon can do so quickly and easily.

If you would like to take part in the consultation, please go to the website at www.awp.nhs. uk/surveys/ periodic-surveys and complete a short questionnaire. If you don’t have access to the internet, please contact my office and we will advise how you can contribute.

This is an opportunity to address an issue that affects many more people than we realise, so I am glad we are making progress.

On a related matter, this Friday is Carers’ Rights Day.

It’s an opportunity to highlight the incredibly valuable work done by the country’s millions of carers, and especially young carers.

It’s an issue on which I’ve campaigned vigorously and it’s something that touches my family personally – I am the parent of a young carer myself.

As a backbench MP, I led the campaign to change the law to enhance the rights of young carers. I am also working locally with the Swindon Carers Centre, which is carrying out some great work to support young carers here.

We know that the official number of young carers – about 400,000 – is only the tip of the iceberg because many are not identified, let alone receive the support they need. I will continue to do what I can in Parliament to raise these issues and to support carers locally.

There is lots of work to be done, but the recent proposals to change the law are a huge opportunity to improve support for young carers and their families.