Mental health services unable to cope with NHS cuts
- 31 Jul
Family doctors are warning that the deteriorating state of mental health services in England could mean patients come to harm as one in five patients are unable to get specialist help.
GPs are reporting that some patients have committed suicide or have been sectioned due to a lack of available community mental health services, reports the Independent.
Over 80% of GPs believe that their local mental health teams are unable to cope with their caseloads and almost half said that the situation in their area had gotten worse in the past twelve months.
Mental health receives around 13 per cent of the NHS budget, but is estimated to represent more than a quarter of the country's disease burden.
Geoff Heyes, policy and campaigns manager at the mental health charity Mind, said that the level of harm witnessed by GPs was "unacceptable but not surprising".
"People with mental health problems can recover, but early intervention is vital," he said. "If the Government is serious about giving as much importance to mental health as it does physical health, we urgently need to see more funding for mental health services."
Health minister Norman Lamb said: "We've committed to introducing access and waiting time standards for mental health from next April, with a phased approach depending on affordability. We are also improving mental health training for GPs so that more people get the right support at the right time."
However, Dr Maureen Baker, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, told Pulse that an "urgent" review of funding allocations for mental health was required.
"There is an urgent need to reassess the way funding is allocated so that services in the community have adequate resources to deliver more proactive, planned care to patients with mental illness," she said.
What do you think of this? Tweet us your comments @suppsolutions
Related articles
- 11 Sep
People in Bedfordshire can find mental health support through an audio guide
The guides have been written by clinical psychologists and are available to download in print or listen to as an audio file, reports Bedfordshire News.Dr Judy Baxter, Clinical Director with BCCG and...
- 10 Sep
Police officers in Dorset to receive mental health training
The partnership with the University comes as part of the county’s Mental Health Street Triage Project. It is hoped to equip officers with improved knowledge and skills to assess members of the...
- 09 Sep
People in Peterborough can refer themselves for mental health services
Through a drive to offer support to more people and ease pressure on doctors, people living in Peterborough can self-refer themselves to mental health services, reports Peterborough Today.Dr Adrian...
- 08 Sep
The first mental health centre for men
The site has been set up by Alex Eaton, whose dad took his own life and has suffered with mental health problems himself, in Burton upon Trent, reports BBC Newsbeat.Mr Eaton said: "We are the only...
- 07 Sep
NHS trust told no mental health beds available
Dr Bohdan Solomka has said that on Sunday a lack of beds were applied across the NHS and among private providers, reports the BBC. The director of the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trusts...
- 07 Sep
Over 16,000 mental health referrals for young people have been rejected
Between July last year and June this year, data from the NHS has found that Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services rejected 5,396 referrals, reports STV News.Over the last three years 16,565...
- 04 Sep
New mental health centre to open in Ardwick
Plans to build a new £6m treatment and recovery centre in Manchester have been revealed. It will be built in Ardwick and be run by Alternative Futures Group, reports the Manchester Evening...
- 03 Sep
Research finds more chance of re-offending if mental health issues are present
Research has found that ex-prisoners with mental health problems and drug and alcohol misuse are more likely to commit violent offences after release than other former prisoners, reports the...
- 02 Sep
Drop in the number of people with mental health issues held in cells
Recent figures have found that the Crisis Care Concordat has seen over 10,000 people receive care from mental health nurses with the support from police officers, reports the Burton Mail.Figures have...
- 02 Sep
Mental health social work scheme accepting applications
100 places are now available for applicants who have a 2:1 or above undergraduate degree and can demonstrate attributes such as resilience and empathy, reports Community Care.The Think Ahead...
How to fund Housing Support and Social Care Services "Alot of information in a short time, good for me because I travelled a long way. So I feel the journey was worthwhile." C.T - People First Dorset
