CUTS to adult mental health services in England are damaging the quality of care given to patients, a report by the King’s Fund said yesterday.
The King’s Fund think tank added that its researchers were convinced that this damage was linked to the use of unproven, cheaper services in a bid to balance the books. Marjorie Wallace, ‘Sane’ mental health charity chief executive, commented on the report saying ‘disappearing’ services are putting lives at risk.
Mental health Charity Mind went further: it stated that, ‘This report lifts the lid on the true state of NHS mental health services. The government has expressed its commitment to putting mental health on an equal footing with physical health but it’s clear that there is an enormous gulf between that aspiration and the day-to-day reality for many.
‘We hear every day from people with mental health problems who tell us that support is getting harder and harder to access as services shrink while demand escalates. Poor mental health can ruin lives, destroy relationships, take away people’s independence and can lead to some taking their own lives. But with the right support at the right time, people can and do recover or manage their mental health in a way that allows them to lead the life they choose.
‘If people don’t get the help they need, when they need it, they are likely to become more unwell and need more intensive – and expensive – support further down the line. Failing to deliver the right care isn’t good for people and it’s not good for the NHS. We echo the King’s Fund’s call for more funding for NHS mental health services; after decades of neglect and five years of cuts, services are in urgent need of significant investment.’
The King’s Fund review also pointed to growing evidence that there was inadequate support for those with severe problems. It said only 14% of patients had reported receiving appropriate care in a crisis, while hospital bed occupancy rates were routinely exceeding recommended levels – leading to patients being sent to units many miles away from their home.
The think tank looked at official data and previous research as well as carrying out its own analysis to come to its conclusions. The review warned that many of the changes now being made to help trusts cope with cuts to their budgets – four in 10 have seen their income drop in the past year – represented a ‘leap in the dark’ because of a lack of evidence they would work.
These changes included the merging of specialist teams that deal with crisis situations and those that provide early access to psychosis services into generic community teams that are not always equipped to deal with the demands being placed on them.
One woman said her acutely suicidal father was taken by ambulance staff to a mental health café because they could not find him a hospital bed. ‘It’s certainly not appropriate for somebody who is very suicidal. In fact it’s not safe to take someone like that to a café. They need to be in hospital, their life is at risk. They need to be treated by medical staff as you would anybody with a serious health condition.’
The King’s Fund think tank also found:
• More than two-thirds of mental health trusts were or had recently overhauled services
• Of those, more than half had plans to reduce staffing levels or the skills mix in its workforce
• A quarter were aiming to use less qualified staff, by replacing nursing with volunteers and support workers
• More than 10% said they would be further reducing bed numbers.
Stephen Dalton, chief executive of the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network, said, ‘It is clear that massive government cuts are destroying the NHS and the mental health services.’ The government however is pressing ahead with even bigger and bigger cuts. Something must be done.
Shortly the junior doctors will be taking strike action against the dictation of their contract by the government. When they strike, everybody must strike with them, to get rid of this government and bring in a workers government and socialism.
This is the way forward!
