Ipswich MP responds to Heston Blumenthal BBC Two documentary

Last week, the chef and presenter of Channel 4's Heston’s Fantastical Food and Heston’s Feasts released a film on BBC Two talking about his journey regarding his bipolar disorder diagnosis. 

The film also featured Ipswich mum Natalie McLellan, who spoke about the death of her 24-year-old paramedic daughter, Rebecca McLellan, who was found dead at her flat on November 20, 2023.

Paramedic Rebecca McLellan died in November 2023 (Image: The McLellan family) Heston Blumenthal was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in November 2023 (Image: BBC/PA)Mrs McLellan had also spoken about increasing funding and education about mental health support, and Ipswich MP Jack Abbott said that he does recognise the failings within mental health support in the UK and hopes that the government can help improve it. 

Mrs McLellan had spoken about the fact that the first time in several years, the government had reduced the percentage of NHS England's budget going towards mental health, from 8.78% to 8.71%, while also increasing its overall budget. 

Natalie McLellan will be featured on the BBC Two documentary  (Image: Shikhar Talwar) She said: "Across our country, we need to see better funding and better input to some of the mental health services. 

"They have made some cuts to mental health this year, and because of that, people out there are not getting that really good quality support.

"It also comes with a need for education and knowledge to help end the stigma around mental health."

Meanwhile, Mr Abbott spoke about how he had invited people from a campaign group focused on Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust to Westminster to discuss their issues. 

Jack Abbott had invited campaigners to Westminster (Image: Roger Harris/ House of Commons) He said: "I thought it was important that MPs hear first-hand from bereaved families and service users, to remind us all that mental health policymaking and debates are not abstract- they are a patchwork of human stories and human consequences.

"Heston Blumenthal’s documentary illustrates that very same human element so powerfully, too.

“Natalie McLellan was one of those bereaved family members who shared their story that day - a story that celebrated the life of her daughter, Rebecca, but also one that recounted tragic and systemic failures in the lead up to Rebecca’s death.

“Our Labour government knows the breadth and the depth of failure in our mental health system, and has already got to work in trying to repair it.

"One of the very first things announced by the Labour government last year when we came into office was a reform of the outdated Mental Health Act, which, though no silver bullet, will help address some of the long-term and cultural failures that underpin our mental health services."